Stranded
by Miss Kansas
Summary: After shipwrecking on a deserted island, three friends and a rich girl quickly realize being stranded is the least of their problems.
1. We're Yacht Going to Make It!

**This is a real-life AU, but faunus DO exist.**

 **This is posted today because it's Monty's day. This fic is dedicated to him. We love you, Monty!**

* * *

Weiss raised her glass of water. "I'm glad you could make it."

The man smiled and clinked the two crystal clear glasses together. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

She feigned a smile, something she was an expert at by this point. "Good to hear."

 _Your tie looks like a piece of shit,_ Weiss thought. _Honestly, why was he allowed in with that get-up?_

It had been several hours into the party at that point. Weiss could only take the hostess role for so long, even though it's what she'd been trained to do since she was little.

The endless rules of being a hostess included the basics like: talk to every guest, be kind, be accommodating, never refuse a dance, table manners, chin up, never slouch, and the number one rule: dress to impress!

No matter how much she didn't want to, Weiss held true to those rules. Presently, she was wearing a summer dress that was white as snow. Her father always made it a point to wear white since it was the color they were known for.

Her earrings were azure blue studs to match her eyes, while her hair was worn down, and not the usual off-center ponytail she normally liked to adorn. The necklace pulled together the outfit nicely since it was the same shade of blue to match.

She and the old man sat at a table near the center of the extravagant room. Weiss had been sitting by herself to catch a break until, like a typical old man, he wandered up to her and sat down.

"What have you been up to, Ms. Schnee?" the guest asked his hostess.

 _You mean other than pleasing you pedophiles?_

"I'm simply enjoying living on the sea every day."

 _Can I go to my room now?_

Of course, Weiss just wished she'd have a few days to herself and to get off the boat for once. She didn't even leave the yacht for school, as she was homeschooled by her father.

She and her father lived on their prized yacht, where they hosted parties. The purpose of these events was to raise money, to have a fun time, or to simply show off their wealth.

The yacht was four stories tall and glazed with snow-white walls and glistening marble floors. The railings were engraved with gold, while each pair of stairs twinkled a sky blue pallor.

The man chuckled. "Who wouldn't want your privileged life?"

 _Go ahead and take it,_ she thought. _I entertain people like you all the time and it gets boring. Take this role and see how you like it._

"Yes, it's quite nice," she took a sip of her drink, hiding her small, microscopic scowl.

The whole situation was actually fairly complicated. She did feel trapped on the ship, but it was also her home. Where she lived. She had an attachment to it whether she liked it or not, it was all she had known.

A man in a white tuxedo and pale blue tie stood and clinked his glass for the crowd to hear. "I have an announcement."

The guests turned their heads to the man.

"Thank you all for coming," he said.

"Of course, Captain Schnee," some suck-up chirped.

Weiss rolled her eyes when the person spoke. People far and wide called her father 'captain' to show respect. Only she was allowed to address him differently.

"You're very kind," a young woman bowed her head.

"However, a storm is approaching," Captain Schnee continued. "So I suggest leaving Never More soon."

Weiss watched as a man who looked like the spitting image of the monopoly guy stood up and shook the Captain's hand. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Captain Schnee nodded. "Get back home safely."

The white-haired girl was ecstatic. Now these people would leave soon, and she would be able to finally have some time in her floating castle by herself.

* * *

"Is that it?" the blonde pointed to a pale blue flag with a white snowflake emblazoned on its fabric.

The ravenette nodded. "Yes, Yang. That's it. The yacht known as Never More."

"Wooooooow!" a brunette stood there in awe. "So that's what it looks like!"

The three stood to the side of the boat in a dark alley way. The ship was anchored to the ocean and a small bridge allowed people to enter and exit from the party.

Yang flipped her hair. "They should've invited us, or we wouldn't be doing this. Right, Blakey?"

Blake nodded. "The inside must look amazing. Do you like it, Ruby?"

"Whoa…" Ruby's eyes were as large as dinner plates as they caught side of the lavish and expensive ship.

"I think that's a yes," Yang smirked. "You got it?"

"Yes," Blake yanked off her backpack and pulled out a rope. "Is it clear?"

Ruby peeked behind the light pole to scan the yacht's entrance, where there were a few security guards. "No, looks like we'll be needing it."

"No problem," Blake twirled the rope a bit to gain momentum. "It's not a difficult shot."

"Wait!" Ruby grabbed the rope before Blake could throw it. "Isn't this wrong?"

Blake lowered the rope. "It's just one night to enjoy ourselves, try not to let it get to you."

"Yeah, Rubes!" Yang beamed a smile. "Don't think of it as trespassing. Think of it as going to another regular party… that we weren't invited to."

Ruby let out an aggravated sigh. "Fineeeee. But we're never doing this again!"

"It's just for tonight," the faunus began to twirl the rope again.

Of course the three would want to go to the party. The Never More's parties were rumored to be the best of the best, and only for the social elite. When the trio caught wind that Captain Schnee would lower anchor in their town, they knew they couldn't waste the chance to explore a world-known yacht.

Blake tossed the rope like an expert, it caught on to one of the golden railings and twisted around firmly.

She smirked, knowing it was a good catch. "I'll go first and make sure it's tight enough for you two."

Yang snickered. "That's what she said."

"Not now," the faunus was in no joking mood.

"Be careful Blake!" Ruby warned. "Don't get hurt."

Blake smirked. "Please. What's the worst that could happen? Get my dress wet?"

"Good point," the brunette admitted.

Blake jumped off the port and swung over to the edge of the railing, where she climbed up faster than a rocket to avoid falling in the ocean.

Yang was impressed and whispered in Ruby's ear. "I guess being part cat really helps."

Blake's ears twitched at the comment. "I heard that!" she yelled when she finished adjusting the knot.

Ruby just giggled.

Blake rolled her eyes and tossed the lengthy rope over to Yang. "It should be good."

Yang tightened her grip on the end. "Jeez, I can't believe we're doing this in dresses and heels."

"Suck it up!" Ruby exclaimed. "We have no choice, do you want to stand out in a crowd of the oh-so important people?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yang playfully rolled her eyes and jumped off the deck, effectively swinging over to the side of the ship. She considered herself lucky that she could pull herself up easily and made it up to Blake with ease.

"Good job," Blake praised and pulled the rope back up. She twirled it once more and Ruby caught it with precision.

"Ehehe," Ruby mumbled nervously. "Stupid lady stilts…"

"You got this, Rubes!" Yang encouraged.

Ruby gulped and yanked on the rope. She swung over to Blake and Yang, but didn't crawl up.

Yang looked over the deck. "What're you doing?!" she asked in a harsh whisper.

Ruby just clung there. "You two are already up there. Just pull me!"

Blake's mouth was agape. "You are such a lazy ass!"

"Do it or I swear I'll let go on purpose!" she looked at the dark water below.

"Okay, okay, jeez," the blonde didn't want to take any chances and pulled her sister up. "You happy?"

Ruby beamed a smile. "Yep!"

Blake's yellow orbs scanned the port. "Well, we made it on. Where is everyone?"

Ruby looked through the window and saw some guests chatting at tables. "Inside. These people can't handle the heat."

"Such _pussies_ ," Yang muttered and looked for approval at Blake.

The faunus rolled her eyes at the pun and quickly got to work.

She tip-toed across the deck and made sure no one inside saw her shadow, which was easy since she was wearing all black. In her peripheral vision, she saw an open window at an arm's reach on the side of the yacht.

"Guys! I found our way in!"

Yang and Ruby perked up and followed their friend, even though their stealth was similar to that of an elephant taking a ballet class.

"You want to enter through the window?" Ruby asked in exasperation. "That's weird."

"We swung on a rope to get on the ship," Blake deadpanned. "I'll go first if that makes you feel better."

"Ugh," Ruby whined. "Fine."

"Good luck, kitty cat," Yang sent her a wink.

The faunus used her upper body to pull herself in the foreign room and dropped to the floor with dead silence.

She poked her head out. "It's clear."

Yang nodded and picked up Ruby.

"Wha-what're you doing?!" Ruby yelped.

"Making this faster," Yang aimed her sister at the window and tossed her in.

Ruby yelped and surprisingly landed with ease in Blake's open arms.

Blake protectively covered Ruby's head in case she fell. "I knew she'd pull that stunt."

"Thanks for the save, Blake," Ruby smiled and faintly blushed from the contact.

The faunus reluctantly let her go. "N-no problem."

Ruby got the chance to look around. "Woah… it's dark in here. Where are we?"

Yang soon joined the two and landed with a quiet thud. "Someone turn on the lights."

Blake easily found the light switch with her night vision and flicked them on.

"Woah," Ruby stared at the room in disbelief. "This is just ONE bedroom?!"

Yang saw the king bed with snowflakes on the blankets. "Seems like it. This place is bigger than my entire house."

"It's nice," Blake commented and gazed at a picture frame by the night stand. She held it up to inspect it, the picture was a little girl fishing with an older man. The faunus assumed it was a father and daughter since they looked alike. "Whose room is this?"

"Hell if I know," the blonde shrugged. "Let's get outta here and join the party."

* * *

A little while after Captain Schnee's announcement, guests filed out the exit rather slowly. Weiss wished they would move faster so she could drop the facade and get some rest. Being on guard and fake for a few hours gets exhausting.

"Thank you for coming," Weiss flashed a smile at a guest that was leaving.

The young woman shook her hand. "And thank you for the invite, Ms. Schnee. Please tell Captain Schnee we all had a good time."

Weiss bowed her head respectfully. "I'll be sure to tell him."

 _Yeah right. You and the other one hundred people._

The woman and the last few of the guests left the boat after she bid them farewell. Once she was certain, she slid the door shut and let out a relieved sigh as she leaned on the transparent door.

"Thank you for doing this, Weiss."

Weiss genuinely smiled the first real smile of the night. "It's no problem, dad."

She never had the courage to tell her father she'd like to spend some time off the yacht, for fear she'd make him upset. Her father was one of her only friends besides a few of the guests she actually took a liking to. Her dad had been dead-set on protecting her over the years.

It was her father's unconditional love that kept her from living a normal life, but she loved him nonetheless. She just wished that she had the courage to tell him she wanted to spend time on land, and maybe even live there.

Mr. Schnee watched his daughter take off her jewelry. "I really do appreciate it. Don't bother with anything else tonight and get some rest. I'll handle everything else."

Weiss hugged him. "Thank you."

 _Tomorrow,_ she thought. _I'll tell him tomorrow._

Mr. Schnee chuckled after the embrace. "I have to admit, you're great at acting," he held out a fist.

The white-haired girl fist-bumped him. "I learn from the best."

"Now go rest," he advised. "It's been a long day."

Weiss headed to the door and before she left said. "I love you."

"I love you too, Weiss," Mr. Schnee smiled.

Several minutes after going to her room, Weiss found something strange.

 _I could have sworn this frame was angled like this,_ she tilted it to the side a few centimeters. _Huh… Whatever.._

Her window then slammed shut, earning a surprised yelp.

 _The storm must be here._

Just as she was about to change out of her white dress, she felt a slight shift of momentum. It was so slight she thought she was imagining things, but she opened the window regardless and saw that the ship was moving away from the port during the dramatic rainstorm.

 _Why would dad drive Never More in this weather?_

Weiss rolled her eyes at her father's stupidity and headed to the captain's deck. She trudged through the outside in the lightning and wind and finally made it up the stairs.

Before stepping inside, she grabbed a dry towel off the shelves and rubbed her flowing hair through it. When she was done, she threw it around her shoulders and twisted the knob.

"Dad, why are you driving Never More in this weather? It's not-"

Her eyes widened when she realized her dad wasn't the one steering. She quickly got into a defensive position. Her father had taught her a few handy offensive moves, but this might be the first time she'd be forced to use them.

"Who are you people!?"

"Ehehe," the brunette nervously chuckled. "Blake! You said everyone left!"

Blake examined Weiss. "Don't blame me, Ruby! I thought they did!"

After azure and amber orbs met, Weiss thought the girl looked familiar, especially the cat ears.

 _Why does she look like someone I knew?_

She shook off her thoughts and focused on the situation, telling herself she had time to ponder that later.

"Dad and I live on this ship," the white-haired girl informed. "Now, step away from the wheel and no one gets hurt."

The blonde that was steering turned her head around. "Aw, the little princess is threatening us?"

Weiss clenched her jaw in frustration from the nickname.

 _How DARE they!_

"Yang, shut up," the faunus countered and calmly gazed at Weiss. "We just want to take it for a spin."

 _These people are a whole new level of idiocy!_

Weiss was debating what to do in that situation, but the sky answered for her when a bolt of lightning surprised Yang, effectively distracting her. Weiss figured she could take them on, especially since the girls seemed to be around her age.

 _They have no idea who they're messing with._

The white-haired girl wasted no time and lunged at the blonde that was steering Never More. Before Weiss could attack, Blake threw herself in the line of fire and the two tumbled to the ground. The faunus grunted while she sat on top and straddled the surprisingly strong girl.

"Oh, you're feisty!" Yang exclaimed. "Mama like!"

Weiss kept thrashing around underneath Blake's grip to no avail.

 _Damn! How could I have underestimated them?!._

"Yang shut up and focus on steering!" Blake yelped as Ruby threw her the rope.

Blake pinned her down and tied the rope around Weiss' hands.

Weiss didn't stop squirming under her grip. "You three are _so_ going to prison for this!"

Blake got off her and stared out the window, gazing at the vast ocean that began to turn violent. "Yeah, yeah."

Weiss was beyond pissed as she continued to squirm around on the floor. The knot was tight, and just as she was about to give up, something rolled directly in her hand from behind.

 _What's this?_

Weiss grasped the object and it felt sharp. She held back a whimper as one of the shards pierced her fingers.

 _A broken bottle. Perfect timing._

Her father had often drank glass coke bottles if the yacht was on autopilot. She figured it had fallen off one of the shelves when the crooks snuck in, but didn't ponder too long and started to cut through the rope.

"How far out are we taking this thing anyways?" Ruby asked her friends.

Yang casually turned the wheel. "Till we get tired of it I guess."

Weiss scowled. "You're stealing Never More because you're bored?! In the middle of a storm no less!"

"We'll bring it back," Blake assured. "Just give us a few minutes."

 _A few minutes my ass! No one steals my home!_

Weiss was fuming on adrenaline and needed to think on her feet, so she devised a plan.

Blake noticed Weiss looked downcast. "Everything's okay. We won't hurt you."

"It's not that," the white-haired girl said as tears threatened to spill over. "It's… it's…"

Blake was concerned and bent down to Weiss. "What is it?"

 _Got her._

Weiss hid a smirk and threw her arm up, slamming the bottle on the back of Blake's head. The faunus had no time to react and collapsed to the floor with droplets of blood streaking down her face.

Ruby rushed over to her downed companion and gave Weiss a dirty look. "Blake!"

Blake remained unresponsive.

"You're the one's stealing my ship!" Weiss retorted and shot up on her feet. She made sure to hold the jagged piece of glass as a weapon and held it out. "Last warning. Get away from the wheel."

"Woah!" Yang exclaimed. "Someone's a surprise badass," she smirked, already taking a liking to the girl.

Weiss couldn't stand how calm the blonde was during the situation. She lunged at her, hoping to wipe the smirk off her face, but Yang acted swiftly and knocked the shards out of her grasp with her foot. Weiss grunted in pain and when she did, Yang took the opportunity to twist her around and held her hands behind her back.

"Rubes, take the wheel!"

Ruby reluctantly left Blake and took control. "O-okay!"

Weiss kept squirming to get out of Yang's iron grip, but she was too strong.

"Take a seat, princess," Yang smirked when she knew Weiss was no longer a threat. "A little thing like you can't take me on."

 _As if!_

Weiss jabbed her pointy elbow as hard as she could into Yang's generous bust. The blonde immediately let go of Weiss and held her breast in agony.

"That was… a cheap shot!"

Weiss jumped away and it was her turn to smirk when she had won that round. When she was about to go for round two, Ruby said. "Ugh… guys."

A familiar voice found its way into the conversation. "What?"

Yang abandoned the fight and went over to the downed faunus. "Thank god you're alright."

Blake gripped her head in pain. "Enough about me, what is it Ruby?"

"Cliff!"

"WHAT!?" Weiss shrieked and pushed the brunette to the side.

She tried to change direction with all her might, but the ocean's violent waves were far too powerful as it pushed the yacht closer to the cliff. It would crash directly at this rate.

The other three grabbed the wheel and tried to help Weiss steer the ship out of its path, but it was for naught.

"We're _yacht_ going to make it!" Yang pulled her hair out in frustration.

"Really?" Blake was unimpressed. "NOW? Dammit, Yang!"

"PUNS TILL THE END, MOTHERFU-"

* * *

 **You may be wondering… Why name the ship Never More? 1) It's a grimm 2) That's the song title that came up as I was writing this and 3) It's ironic as hell.**

 **Who doesn't love irony?**

 **Keep moving forward.**


	2. Never More No More

**Wow! Over 30 follows on the first chapter?! What ducking even. I'm speechless! Thanks so much! I had no idea this story would be that successful already. I'd be surprised if it even got two follows xD**

 **Enough about my ranting. ON TO THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

Captain Schnee was awoken from his deep slumber by the furious rocking of his ship back and forth. He was thrown from his king sized bed and smacked his head against one of the golden bedposts.

"AGH!" he shouted, rubbing his head furiously. "What the hell is going on?"

He pulled himself up straight, a difficult task given that the ship was swaying relentlessly.

Once he had his bearings, Captain Schnee felt his way along the wall, using it to guide him toward the door to his cabin.

Captain Schnee threw open the door and was shocked at the scene outside.

The ship wasn't anchored to the dock anymore. It was floating freely out on the open sea. The sky was grey and sinister, and the waves banged against the hull of the Never More.

"My god…" he muttered, now fully awake. His head jerked over toward the ship's wheelhouse and saw several shadowy forms inside. He quickly made his way along the deck of the Never More, desperately trying to get to the wheel.

Suddenly, a rogue wave smashed against the side of the hull, the water flooded over the deck and pulled everything in its path out to sea, including the Captain. He desperately clawed at the wood of the deck, trying to on the ship. However, his actions were in vain, as another wave crashed into the ship, submerging the Captain with water and ripping him from his ship.

Schnee's head cracked against the deck as he was pulled underneath the guardrail before falling into the ocean...

* * *

Weiss tried to open her eyes to no avail. Her other senses were working, for example, she could tell the ground was soft and she heard rocking in the distance. The rocking could only belong to one thing, an ocean's tide. After living on the sea for so long, nothing could mimic the unforgettable sound. Her fingers soon found the strength to sooth through the powdery ground.

 _Sand?_

The white-haired girl knew she had to see what was going on, and soon. So she more or less pried her eyes open, only to sit up and gasp in pain that wasn't from the blinding sun's rays. She grit her teeth from the searing agony that was over her left eye.

She decided to worry about that later and slowly shut her left eye to relieve the pain. Her head frantically whipped around to figure out where she was. Behind her was a dense forest filled with various trees and plantation. The occasional screeches of the birds could also be heard in the distance.

What happened the night before finally breached her mind.

Weiss stood and wiped some of the sand off her dress. "Great. Just fan-fucking-tastic! I'm stuck here!"

 _I wonder if those ruffians made it._ _Hm, like I care. They… they crashed my home. Wait…_

Weiss never had time to actually think about how her ship had crashed and capsized. Her stomach twisted in a knot when it dawned on her that she'd never return.

"Never More!"

Yelling the name would be for naught, but it made her feel a bit better.

Her knees buckled and she collapsed on the sand when she knew for a fact that her home was gone forever.

"No!"

Her good eye wandered to the sea, which was as smooth as glass. No traces of the storm were left behind, but Weiss was desperate to get one last glimpse of her home.

"No…"

Another epiphany struck her mind in the confusion.

 _Dad!_

She hastily looked around for any signs of her father, but no one was in sight, with only the shoreline and vast forest behind her.

 _No! He can't be dead! But… but then where would he be?_

Before she could cry, she stood in a fury, expertly changing her sadness to anger.

"It's all their fault!" she shouted at the sky, cursing the heavens.

"That was quite the show you put on there, princess."

Weiss was too caught up in her mind to notice anyone approaching. "Ahh! It's you!"

The last thing she expected was to see another person on the island. Not being alone was a relief, but being stuck in this place with the person who crashed her yacht didn't seem too enticing, either.

"Duh, of course it's me. I'm the one who pulled your ass out of the ocean!"

"You are such a brute!" Weiss exclaimed. "I can't believe you would crash Never More because you were bored!"

"That wasn't the plan," Yang replied. "And ugh, you're welcome for the save?"

"Like I would _ever_ thank you!" Weiss fumed. "You destroyed my home and now my father is more than likely dead."

Yang noticed Weiss' eyes started to water. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was on the ship."

Just as the tears started to spill over, Weiss gasped and put her hand over her left eye that throbbed with pain.

"You got a nasty gash," the blonde informed. "I poured some salt water over it while you were passed out to prevent an infection, but it'll definitely hurt for a while. I went in the jungle to get this for it," she held out her palm, in it, was a makeshift eye patch made of leaves. "Wear it to protect your eye."

Weiss just stared at Yang. She couldn't figure out why she would go through so much trouble for her. Especially when she was one of the people that destroyed her home.

Yang took the silence as permission. "Here," she gently pulled the eye patch over her head and took great care in wrapping it around her eye. "Better?"

Weiss kept the covered eye shut and had to admit, the leaves were soft, so they didn't irritate the gash.

"I suppose."

 _Why's she being so nice?_

"Great!" Yang beamed a smile. "Come on," she grabbed Weiss' hand. "We're looking for the others."

It's not like Weiss had anything else to do, so she teetered behind the blonde after yanking out of her grasp. After several minutes of wandering the shore, Yang spotted a black blob in the distance. Thankfully, she seemed to be talking to someone in a red dress.

"Ruby! Blake!" Yang waved.

"YAAAAAANG!" Ruby yelled and bolted over.

Yang didn't waste a second and took off to her sister. "RUBY!"

The sisters practically crashed into each other's arms with a loving embrace.

"I'm so glad you're okay," the blonde whispered in Ruby's ear.

Ruby smiled. "I'm glad you're okay, too," she sniffled. "It'll take a lot more to take us down."

The two broke apart and Yang ruffled Ruby's hair. "That's right!"

"Glad to see you're alright," Blake greeted. "What happened on your end?"

"I dragged her unconscious ass to shore," the blonde pointed to Weiss.

"Hey!"

Ruby giggled. "I like your eye patch! Uhhh…"

"My name is Weiss," said girl replied.

"I'm Ruby!"

"I'm Blake."

Now that the faunus was in better lighting under the sun, Weiss got a good look of the girl. She was positive she'd never seen her face in her whole life, but there was a gnawing feeling in her gut that wouldn't go away whenever she caught a glimpse of her.

 _Why does she look so familiar? This is going to bother me._

"And I'm the hottest of the bunch, Yang. Yang Xiao Long. Don't forget it," she sent the girl a wink.

"How could I forget the ruffians who wrecked my ship?!" Weiss fumed.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Oh yeah... sorry about that."

"Saying sorry won't bring back Never More," Weiss deadpanned.

 _What are we going to do now? There's no way I'm dying out here with these three._

"We're sorry, Weiss," Yang genuinely apologized, but soon noticed that Blake grimaced.

The blonde knew her friend didn't break her poker face often, so she knew something was wrong.

"Blakey, you okay?"

"Yeah," Blake slowly lifted her hand to the back of her head. "It's just the blow from earlier is all."

Yang stared at Weiss, knowing she was the reason.

"Don't you even THINK about blaming me! You assholes crashed my fucking ship!" Weiss pointed accusingly.

Yang was always great at making things lighthearted. "Guess it was called Never More for a reason," she nudged the white-haired girl. "Eh? Eh?"

"Unbelievable," Weiss raised her hands in defeat.

 _I hope Dad is okay,_ she shook her head. _Don't be naive. Of course he's not… but… he has to be..._

Ruby whispered in Blake's ear after the lame joke. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just a headache," the faunus assured.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

When Yang knew her friend was okay, she asked. "What are we gonna do now? Any ideas?"

"The first order of business should be to find sustenance," Weiss informed. "You people have, to say the least, made my life much more difficult. But that doesn't mean I'll die out here because you're incompetent."

 _It's no use worrying about him now._

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I think you'll find us more than capable."

Ruby ran towards the jungle. "Since this is the tropics it'll be easy to find fresh water."

Yang followed her sister. "Wait up!"

The brunette lost her balance and face-planted on the sand. "Owww, why am I still wearing these stupid lady stilts?!" she kicked them off in frustration.

"You'll need these in the jungle," Yang picked up each shoe and tore off the heels. "Look, now they're flats!"

"Thanks, Yang," Ruby shoved the shoes back on and stood. "Wow, this is much more bearable."

"Right?" Yang had already ripped off her heels.

Blake shrugged and did the same with Weiss reluctantly following, thinking it wasn't such a bad idea. If they were going in the forest, there's no way they'd be barefoot. Their feet would get scratched up to the point of no return.

Up until this point, Weiss was about Yang's height with heels on. Once the blonde got a look at her in flats, her jaw dropped.

"Holy crap!" Yang exclaimed. "You're so short!"

Weiss scowled. "I'm not short! You're tall!"

"Please," Yang pointed to herself. "I'm average height. Blake's taller than me with her little kitty ears and Ruby's two years younger than us. Are you seventeen, too?"

"Shut it, brute!"

Blake smirked. "I think that's a yes."

Weiss stomped into the dense jungle visibly fuming.

 _First they crash my ship, then they make fun of my height?_

The remaining trio followed suit, not wanting her to be alone in the forest.

"There's gotta be fresh water here somewhere," Yang smacked a tree branch in her path. "How else would the animals survive?"

Blake cautiously scanned their surroundings as they trudged through. "Come on, Yang. You should know this. We've lived in this country for years. Of course there's freshwater. We just have to find it."

The four fumbled through the dense jungle as the sounds of birds chirping reached their ears. The sun's rays were blocked by trees, allowing each member to feel a bit cooler.

Weiss kept her brisk pace as her dress caught several branches and leaves along the way, causing her to stumble a few times. She wasn't the only one with this problem as Ruby tried her best to keep up with the distressed girl.

Ruby grabbed Weiss' shoulder. "Slow do-"

Weiss stopped in her tracks before Ruby could finish her sentence. "What?!"

Yang grinned. "We're all having trouble moving around, so the answer is simple," she bent down and tore her elegant yellow dress up to her mid-thigh.

"Ohhhh! Great idea!" Ruby chirped and followed her sister's lead, ripping apart her red dress.

Under normal circumstances, Weiss would've found the proposal appalling. However, she couldn't help and think that it was a smart move, so she reluctantly tore the ends off her disheveled white dress.

Blake simply shrugged and easily clawed off her black dress' ends with ease.

Yang whistled when she got a look of the group. "Maaaan, I bet this would make a hell of a T.V. show!"

"Quiet brute!" Weiss exclaimed. "This is no time to be joking around. We need to find water, and soon."

"I can climb," Blake chimed. "I'm good tree climber. I'll use the vantage point to spot the nearest river."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Weiss admitted.

Yang pat Blake on the back. "Good thinkin' Blakey!"

Blake clung to the nearest tall tree. "I'll be right back."

"Be careful!" Ruby yelled as Blake shot up the tree like a rocket.

When Blake reached the top, Ruby decided to grab the remains of every dress piece that was scattered on the forest floor.

"Whatcha doin' Rubes?"

Ruby held the cloth in a firm grip. "You never know when we'll need them."

 _It seems they're more cautious than I am,_ Weiss thought. _Good, this may not be a complete disaster._

"Found one!" Blake pointed in the distance.

The trio speed-walked in that direction with Blake soon following. Sure enough, after a few more minutes of trudging through the forest, a clear river was in view.

Before they could bolt to get a drink, Blake blocked all three of them. "Keep in mind that crocodiles may be here. If the water's cold most of them should be somewhere else, but you can't be too cautious."

"Good thing we have an expert with us," Yang replied. "You know everything about the wild."

The four walked to the river and gazed at the clear water.

"It's common sense," the faunus smirked as she gathered water in her palms. She carefully took a sip and concluded that it was very clean, clean enough to drink and not get sick.

The other three took a few gulps and sighed in relief. Being in the sweltering sun all day had taken a toll. To say the cool water was refreshing would be an understatement. Thankfully, the sun was setting and the temperature was getting less hot, and more warm. A bearable temperature.

"Since there are predators," Weiss said. "No one is allowed to walk in the jungle by themselves."

 _I'm not losing anyone else; even if they're the reason my dad is gone._

"Completely agreed," Ruby smiled. "No one's getting hurt if we can help it!"

"We got this in the bag!" Yang slung her arm around Ruby's shoulders. "We're practically born for this!"

"What!?" Weiss yelped. "What do you mean?"

Yang grinned. "Rubes and I are complete outdoors people. We know how to survive in this kind of situation. I guess you could say we're the best people to get shipwrecked with."

Weiss sauntered up to Yang. "If you didn't take my ship, we wouldn't even be in this mess."

"And we're really sorry," Blake genuinely apologized. "If we knew that this would happen we wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Weiss deadpanned. "My home is gone. I have nowhere to return to thanks to you three!"

"What do you want us to say?" Ruby asked curiously. "We regret what we did, and we are truly sorry."

"You don't get it!" Weiss faced the three in a fury.

This whole time, her injury was a dull ache, as the flurry of emotions stirred within her, the ache became a fierce throb. She placed her hand gently over her eye while panting for breath.

The other three noticed her face was flushed, but not from anger.

"My father's dead!"

"Hey," Yang said in a calm tone when Weiss' hand covered the eye patch. "You okay?"

"He's… dead…"

Weiss' eyes glazed over and fluttered shut, with mental and physical exhaustion taking its toll. Her arm went slack and her body fell backward limply as Yang dove to catch the girl.

"Oh jeez!" Yang exclaimed as she coddled Weiss in her arms. "C-can you hear me?!"

She received no response as Weiss' head lolled against her shoulder.

Blake bent down and felt the downed girl's forehead. "She has a fever."

Ruby was concerned. "Oh no, this was all too much for her."

Yang braced her knee as she picked her up bridal style. "We need to get back to shore. The sun is setting and there are predators here."

Ruby and Blake's worried gazes never left the white-haired girl.

Yang noticed this. "It's okay. She'll get better in no time. We are the best team around, right?"

That lifted Ruby's spirits. "Right!"

"Let's go," Blake nodded to the direction of the safe shore.

They headed into the forest unsettled, but determined to get their companion well again.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed. Don't be afraid to leave a review! I absolutely love what you have to say/think.**

 **~Thank you mak133 for writing the first scene~**


	3. Dr Xiao Long At Your Service

The sun was setting on their private, desolate island. As a result, it was a little difficult for Ruby to locate the beached collections of seaweed on the shoreline that she needed for Weiss.

Luckily, Blake was by her side and collected more than enough for their sick friend, thanks to her keen vision.

Ruby took a few pieces of the algae from Blake's hand. "First thing's first, I know you're also suffering."

Blake gripped the remaining seaweed. "Huh?"

"Don't pretend," Ruby gently tied the seaweed around the back of Blake's head. "You were hurt, too."

The dull throbbing of her skull slowly turned to an annoying ache. Nonetheless, it was great improvement.

"Thank you, Ruby," the faunus said.

Ruby was happy to finally see a smile on Blake's face. "N-no problem. You know you can always come to me."

"Of course. The next time I have an issue I'll come to you," Blake assured.

"Good, because I can tell if you're hiding something anyways," the brunette stated.

Blake sighed in relief as she gently pressed another piece of algae on the sore spot and tied it firmly. The makeshift bandage clung tightly to the irritated cut, already dulling the pain.

"Come on," Ruby reached out her hand. "The rest is for Weiss."

The faunus once again smiled from the gesture and grasped Ruby's hand with a faint blush. Despite Ruby wanting to get back, Blake took the lead since she could see better than her.

The sun barely peaked over the horizon, painting the sky orange. No clouds were in sight, meaning no storms were brewing. The ocean easily reflected the oncoming darkness as the two headed to the remaining pair.

Yang leaned over Weiss, who was lying limply on the sand.

"You really scared me there, princess," the blonde ran her fingers through her damp bangs, her forehead beaded with sweat.

 _Why was I so scared when she fainted?_ Yang thought. _I just met her last night and she tried to attack me! Well… I guess I can't blame her for doing that..._

"Yang!" Ruby called as her and Blake ran up to Yang. "How is she?"

"Still unconscious…" Yang muttered. "But what about you?" she asked when she saw the new bandage around Blake's head.

"Much better thanks to Ruby," Blake replied in a pleased tone.

"I'm glad," the blonde smiled. "When do you think she'll wake up?"

Blake placed a piece of cold seaweed on Weiss' forehead.

"Soon," the faunus affirmed. "We should check on her gash for now."

Yang nodded. "Good thinking."

Ruby and Blake took a seat next to Yang to watch the process.

The blonde was hesitant to lift the handmade eye patch, fearing that she would hurt the girl.

"Here," Ruby cautiously removed the leave-patch.

Blake grimaced. "It looks pretty bad."

The deep cut still had blood surrounding Weiss' left eye. Wet blood was present and dripping, but the dried blood smeared all over because the leaves were constantly pressing against her skin. This made it a particularly painful sight.

Yang cringed and picked up a piece of seaweed. "Good thing she's out, this'll hurt."

The blonde gently wiped off the remaining dry blood with the algae and tossed it to the side with a smile.

"Much better."

Dry blood was no longer present, but the single red line remained with the occasional seeping of blood.

"It does look better but she's still bleeding," Blake observed. "Let's not put the eye patch back on until it completely stops."

"Good idea!" Ruby chirped and got another piece of seaweed.

Gently placing it over Weiss' eye, Ruby sighed in relief when she succeeded without causing her any pain.

"That should heal her up in no time!" Yang beamed. "We're such great doctors."

Blake almost snickered, her laugh getting caught in her throat. "Dr. Xiao Long at your service."

"I like the sound of that," Yang replied.

"The first known doctor to crash a party," Ruby said.

"Literally," Yang sighed. "Oh man, this whole thing's a mess and it's all my fault…"

Blake put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It was my idea. If anyone should take the blame, it's me."

"Woah, woah," Ruby interjected. "I went along with you guys. I didn't stop you, so it's my fault."

Yang sighed heavily. "Look at us… Each taking the blame... I couldn't ask for better friends."

"We each had a part," the faunus admitted. "And the burden mostly fell on her…" her gaze lingered on Weiss.

Ruby was downcast. "Before she fainted… she said something about her dad being dead?"

"Yeah," Yang confirmed. "He was on the ship when it wrecked."

Blake's eyes widened. "Does that make us murderers?"

The three were dead silent from the possibility, only the tide reaching their ears.

"We have to hold onto hope," Ruby suggested. "Captain Schnee is a smart man."

Ruby made sure to say 'is' instead of 'was' in an effort to provide as much comfort to the group as possible. The last thing she wanted was her friends to feel like murderers, especially when they don't know for sure if the man was dead.

She continued. "He's proven himself. This time is no different."

Captain Schnee was known for owning various weapons shops across the world. The trademark stores were known as 'Schnee's Weaponry,' where people bought things from pocket knives to guns, to medieval things like the halberd and mace.

However, many stores went out of business due to his superior negotiation skills and cunning financial tactics. Many people were understandably upset with the man, but were powerless to take back their companies.

"Let's not think about the negatives," Yang stated. "We don't know for sure if her dad's dead, but she's worried sick about him."

"Who wouldn't be?" Blake asked. "In a way, I understand…"

Yang and Ruby realized what she was referring to.

"Hey, come on now," Ruby comforted. "You have us. Don't think about it too much."

"She's right," Yang beamed a smile at her faunus friend. "We'll never leave your side."

Blake's eyes started to water from the memories. "Thanks guys. You're like family to me."

"Like?" Yang scoffed. "We _are_ family, Blake. Bound by blood or not."

Ruby hugged the faunus. "You're not alone anymore."

"I know," Blake sniffled a bit and returned the hug. "Thank you."

Ruby and Blake savored the warmth, glad that they had each other on the island and weren't alone. They had been best friends almost their whole lives. Both of them wanted something more, but they were afraid it would ruin their priceless relationship.

Yang smiled at the two's embrace, but reality set in as she looked back to Weiss. "We'll never be able to make it up to her, will we?"

Blake dropped her head guiltily. "Who knows…"

"The fact of the matter is that we don't know for sure if he's dead, right?" Ruby asked.

Yang and Blake nodded slowly.

"And we won't know for _sure_ until we get back home," Ruby continued. "What matters is the present!" she couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere. "I bet you guys are hungry. And I know Weiss will want something to eat when she wakes up."

"What do you want to do?" Yang asked curiously. "It's almost dark, and it's too dangerous to go in the jungle."

Ruby looked at Blake knowingly. "You can see perfectly now, right?"

"Yes," Blake confirmed. "Night vision comes in handy in times like this."

"Then the answer is simple. I'll collect some sticks to spear the fish with. Since I'm awesome with a spear, Blake can just tell me where they are in the water."

Yang internally chuckled when she remembered Ruby fumbling around in the water with Taiyang when they were younger. He was the person who taught them about the wilderness. When they first went fishing, he insisted they learned how to fish the old fashioned way, with spears.

The blonde silently thanked her father for teaching her sister the life-saving skill.

Yang realized that she never received a job. "What about me?"

Ruby groaned. "Yang, think about it. Would you want to wake up on a foreign island all alone?"

Yang glanced from her sister to Weiss. "No."

The brunette smiled. "Then it's settled. You're staying here and we'll come back with food. Sound good?"

"Don't take too long," Yang said. "If you do, I'm comin' after the both of you."

Ruby playfully rolled her eyes from the comment. They were on a dangerous, desolate island, filled with the unknown and it was getting dark. Leave it to her sister to drop everything and run to them in their time of need.

"No complaints here," she said to satisfy Yang's urge to protect them. "But you should start a fire to prepare for the fish we'll catch."

"Got it," Yang wasn't going to waste any time and got to work.

Ruby and Blake took their leave and set out on their mission.

All the supplies the group had gathered were conveniently next to the sleeping girl so Yang didn't have to travel far.

The blonde grabbed some wood that the group had collected earlier. After several minutes of twisting the sticks together, a small spark of light emitted. This easily set the wood on fire, causing smoke to fill the air.

"Perfect," the blonde smiled at her handiwork.

She also grabbed some rocks the group collected earlier and placed them around the fire's perimeter to prevent it from spreading.

 _I wonder how Blake and Rubes are doing,_ Yang thought.

Ruby and Blake easily found a thick branch lying on the edge of the forest floor. It wasn't sharp enough to stab a fish with, so Blake took it and forced out her nails to act as claws.

"You know, sometimes I forget you're a cat faunus," Ruby giggled as she watched Blake sharpen the end of the branch.

"Being one is coming in handy," Blake couldn't help and smile.

She handed the weapon back to Ruby. "Ready to catch some dinner, partner?"

Ruby blushed at the thought of being her actual partner. "You know it!"

* * *

No matter how hard she tried, Yang couldn't pry her eyes off the white-haired girl.

Her breathing had been gentle for about an hour as she slept peacefully.

"I'm sorry," Yang apologized, knowing full well she was still asleep. "This is my fault…"

Despite the situation, they were also lucky. It tended to rain a lot in their country. However, no clouds loomed in the dark blue sky. The blonde knew they had to make some sort of shelter soon in case of a downpour, but right now she decided to focus her full attention on Weiss.

Yang was tired of and waiting for Blake and Ruby to get back, so she took the liberty of making the sleeping girl a sand pillow. The sand on this particular island was more soft and white than normal, most likely due to the island being uninhabited.

After wiping her hands on her disheveled yellow dress, Yang gently set Weiss' head on the well-made craft.

"That's the least I can do..." she murmured.

As she gazed at the girl's red face, Yang was struck with a sudden urge.

The urge to protect Weiss from harm.

It was odd since she hadn't felt this way since she met Ruby and Blake.

But this feeling was slightly different.

 _Why do I… feel this way?_

She didn't ponder for too long when Weiss stirred with a groan. Before she opened her eyes, her brain registered the pain throbbing over her left eye.

This caused Weiss to gasp and quickly sit up, allowing both pieces of cool seaweed to fall off her face.

Yang was there to catch her as she fell back from dizziness.

"H-hey, take it easy," the blonde wrapped her arms around her. "I know it's painful, but salt water prevents infection and lessens scarring."

Weiss writhed in pain in Yang's arms. "I-I don't care. The seaweed stays off."

Yang noticed the injury had stopped bleeding. "Okay, okay, but the eye patch goes back on later. The blood recently stopped dripping so we want to be sure."

"Fine."

"You know," Yang set her head on the sand pillow. "You gave us a real scare there, princess. Especially me."

 _Why's she so worried?_ Weiss pondered.

Weiss sighed. "That wasn't my intention. And don't call me that."

"No promises," the blonde said evenly. "I'm glad you're up. Ruby and Blake are catching fish."

"When it's this dark?"

Yang pointed to her eyes. "Blake has night vision."

"That's right..." Weiss trailed off.

"Yep!" Yang beamed.

"It seems helpful," the white-haired girl's gaze lingered to the dark sky. "Being a faunus, I mean."

An image of Blake popped in the white-haired girl's head.

 _I don't get it. Why's she SO familiar?_

Yang leaned back and joined the stargazing. "Yeah, she used to be picked on for it. But Rubes and I were always there to cheer her up and beat up anyone that picked on her."

"People are such idiots," Weiss said. "Blake can't help what she is."

"Woah," Yang feigned shock. " _You_ actually care for another being?"

Weiss flicked some sand on the blonde. "I'm not _that_ heartless, you brute."

Yang let out a chuckle from the pitiful assault. "I'm just messin' with ya."

A few moments of silence passed before Weiss began again.

"A lot of things have happened in the last few hours," Weiss sighed as she stared at the dark sky. "But at least one thing hasn't changed. The moon."

Beams of light emitted from the darkness, allowing the shore to be in plain view, also thanks to the ocean reflecting it.

"It's especially beautiful tonight," Yang observed.

Weiss thought back to the memories of her childhood. Her dad and her would sometimes talk to the moon as a joke, but for now, this was her only connection with him.

 _Hey dad,_ she thought as she stared at the moon. _I'm alive… I hope you are too. I hope you're someplace safe._

The two enjoyed the scenery until Yang tilted her head to face the girl, only to notice her face was still flushed. She picked up the seaweed and gently laid it on Weiss' forehead, careful to avoid the injured left eye.

The blonde smiled. "Better?"

"Much," came the soft reply.

Yang could tell even her voice was laden with enervation.

Weiss closed her eye to enjoy the constant tides rocking the shoreline and fire's crackling, relieved that the cool seaweed battled the heat that had been assaulting her.

The two laid in relative silence until Yang noticed her shiver.

"You cold?"

"J-just a little," Weiss hugged herself to provide warmth.

The blonde knew that she shouldn't have been cold since it was very warm outside, especially with the fire next to them. She gathered it was because her fever was giving her the chills.

"I got just the thing for ya," Yang beamed a smile and walked off.

 _What could she possibly have?_ Weiss asked herself. _A leaf blanket?_

Yang walked back over with a towel in hand. "I still can't believe this made it."

"The towel that was around my neck before we crashed," Weiss replied, obviously surprised. "Wow."

"Yep," the blonde laid it over Weiss. "This baby had all day to soak up the sun's rays, so it should be warm!"

The blanket engulfed Weiss in warmth. The shudders no longer racked her body and she drifted off to sleep.

As she nodded off, Yang took great care in making sure none of her skin was exposed to the outside world by tucking her in.

* * *

"To your left!" Blake pointed down at the river.

Ruby shut her eyes as she impaled another fish with ease. "Yes! We got it!"

She knew using her sight would be for naught when it was this dark out, so she trusted Blake's judgement without thought.

"That makes four," the faunus smirked. "Do you think that's enough?"

"They're pretty big fish," Ruby observed. "I don't think we'll need another one."

She tossed the fish in the pile of food.

Blake nodded. "Sounds good. While we're here we should also get water. Especially for Weiss."

"Right!" Ruby agreed. "How will we bring it back?"

"I'm glad you asked," Blake sauntered over to a plant with various leaves and pulled a few out. "We'll make some cups. Get me a few thin vines please."

They weren't hard to find since trees scoured the forest. Ruby yanked several off the nearest tree and watched Blake work her magic.

"There," Blake said proudly. "Four cups. And now I'll make a bigger pack to bring for extra water."

"Wow Blake," Ruby was in awe. "I thought Yang and I were only good at this kinda stuff."

Blake finished tying the extra water pouch with the vine. "We need as much water as possible. We have to be extra careful, Ruby."

Ruby gazed in Blake's amber orbs she could see thanks to the bright moonlight. "Of course."

"Now come on, we have to fill these up and carry the fish back."

After filling up the four cups and extra pouch, the two headed out. Blake didn't trust herself to hold all the fish, so Ruby did while Blake handled the leaf cups full of water.

The two enjoyed each other's company as they trudged through the jungle. They made sure to be as quiet as possible since they didn't want to disturb or wake any predators. However, it was hard for Ruby to see, so when she was about to trip over something, Blake yelped and grabbed her arm.

"Ruby!"

"Huh?!" Ruby was yanked back, stopping her tracks.

"Tree root," Blake warned. "Be careful."

It was like this at night. Blake was Ruby's eyes. It wasn't a bad combination, but it made the brunette feel slightly uneasy, even though she trusted Blake's judgement without thought.

"Thanks Blake!" Ruby chirped and blushed when she realized Blake still hadn't let go. "Oh wow, I would've wiped out."

"Let's get going," the faunus was eager to escape the dangers of the jungle.

Blake continued to hold Ruby's hand in order to guide her through the unknown jungle. She justified in her mind that the contact was necessary, but deep down, she knew it was much more than that. They wasted no time and headed straight for the smoke that lingered in the air that was drifting in the sky.

Yang saw two silhouettes jump out of the edge of the forest.

"Over here," she waved.

Ruby and Blake joined Yang and the sleeping Weiss next to the crackling fire.

"Nice job, sis," Ruby praised. "Has she woken up?"

"Yeah," Yang confirmed. "She fell back asleep is all."

"Wake her up," Blake said. "She needs food and water."

"Right," Yang gently shook the girl's shoulder. "Hey, I know you're tired but you gotta get up."

Weiss woke up slowly, careful not to open her injured eye. "What is it?"

Blake could hear the exhaustion in her voice, so she went over and coaxed the girl up, gently tilting the leaf-cup to her lips.

Weiss eagerly downed the treat and was thankful the water was cold, soothing her parched throat.

"Thanks," Weiss sighed as she was gently laid back down.

"No problem," the faunus smiled and looked back to the fire. "Ruby, are the fish ready?"

Ruby hovered the last fish over the fire to cook it. "All but one. This'll be mine. Dig in!"

Yang smiled and grabbed a fish. "Thanks, Rubes!"

Blake looked back to Weiss. "Can you sit up?"

"Of course I can," she replied with a hint of annoyance.

After taking a deep breath, Weiss pressed her hands firmly against the sand to get leverage.

Once she was halfway up, her arms lost their strength. Just as she was about to crash on the sand, Blake caught her.

"You don't have to be so stubborn, you know," the faunus casted a concerned gaze.

"Whatever," Weiss feebly replied.

Yang didn't know why, but she wanted to care for the white-haired girl. Her stomach twisted in a knot when she watched the faunus hold her.

Once Blake was sure Weiss could sit up on her own, she handed her a well-cooked fish.

The four sat in a circle of warmth next to the comforting fire.

"I gotta admit, these fish aren't bad!" Ruby beamed and took a bite.

"Good job, you two," Yang praised. "If I didn't know any better I'd say this was cooked by a gourmet chef!"

Ruby and Blake blushed from the praise.

"Pshhh," the brunette waved off. "It was nothing."

Weiss couldn't understand why they were talking about something so trivial. The more she thought about their situation, the worse it seemed. But they have proven to hold their own, and didn't abandon her in her time of need, so she was thankful. However, a certain question had been ravaging her mind since they got on the island and she dared asked the one thing they seemed to avoid.

"How long do you think we'll be here?"

That caught the trio off guard, but they knew it was something they needed to talk about.

"Let's place some bets," Yang smirked. "I bet we'll be here for a month max."

Blake pondered for a bit. "Six months."

"Woah," Weiss said. "That's quite a while."

"You're such downers," Ruby held her chin in thought. "I'll be the optimistic one and bet a couple of days!"

"That sounds nice, but not likely," Weiss added after she nibbled on the fish. "Does anyone know we're gone?"

"Our friends at school knew what we were planning," Yang confirmed. "They'll notice soon enough, especially Dad."

"At least people know…" Weiss trailed off. "Wait, you told people?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head anxiously. "About that…"

"What?" Weiss asked suspiciously.

"Never More was the talk of our school," Blake said. "When we heard the world famous yacht was in town, we knew we had to explore."

Weiss listened intently as Ruby continued for Blake. "We tried to get our other friends to sneak on the ship, but…"

"They had common sense?" Weiss asked irritably.

"They were too chicken," Yang finished. "We wanted to go have a new experience since we'd never be invited."

"How'd you three sneak on anyways?" Weiss asked. "I thought security was on top of things."

"A rope and a window," Blake informed.

 _Typical, but a smart way in,_ Weiss indignantly thought. _Such ruffians._

"Which window?" Weiss was genuinely curious now.

"Dunno," Ruby shrugged. "It was already opened."

"Yeah," Yang chimed. "We landed in a room and I swear, it was bigger than a football field."

Weiss perked an eyebrow. "What'd it look like?"

Blake listed off the things she remembered. "Snowflake patterned bed, pale blue walls, white carpet… oh and there was a picture frame on the nightstand with a picture of…"

"My dad and I," Weiss took a deep breath. "I hope the party was worth it."

 _Looks like it was my room._

"Not really," the blonde admitted. "It was too fancy for my tastes. I was looking forward to getting wasted."

"Only a bumbling buffoon would say that," Weiss scowled.

"Aw," Yang feigned hurt. "I thought I was a brute!"

Blake and Ruby let out a genuine laugh.

"What?" Yang asked the chuckling pair. "Those nobles can't handle their liquor or the heat."

Weiss simply rolled her eyes. "Dad was in charge of the guest lists," she started to tear up again when she thought about him.

"Hey, don't be upset. You gotta hold onto hope," Yang encouraged. "You never know."

"Yeah!" Ruby chirped. "Captain Schnee is a smart man. He definitely made it."

Weiss didn't want to linger on the subject too long. "Enough about that," she looked at the three. "I have to admit, even though you have basically ruined my life, I must say I'm impressed."

Ruby tilted her head. "How so?"

"You three are competent and know how to handle this kind of thing, so it's less of a burden knowing we most likely won't die."

The three she had been stuck with could have easily abandoned her in her time of need. Instead, they chose to help, so she was grateful, but making friends with them certainly wouldn't be the top priority.

"Don't say that, princess," Yang replied. "I promise no one's dying here, but thanks for the compliment."

"Don't call me that," Weiss almost inaudibly murmured. "I'll believe that, but how do you know so much about how to survive?"

"We've lived in this country since we were babies," Blake informed. "We're stuck here. It must've been nice traveling the world."

Weiss gave the faunus a blank expression that matched her tone. "Believe me, it wasn't how it seemed to be."

"Trouble in paradise?" Yang asked.

Weiss didn't hear the question as her eyes never left Blake.

 _Why does she… look so familiar?_

Darkness started to tug the corners of her vision. She fell back on the sand in a heap as she heard her name being called, from whom, she couldn't tell, everything was muffled.

Her bleary vision saw Blake leaning worriedly over her. Weiss could tell she was saying something, but didn't know what.

She focused more on the faunus' face. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen Blake somewhere before.

Her cat ears, her eyes, her hair… they all seemed familiar.

 _I've seen her before, I just know it…_

Weiss tried to gather the energy to speak to Blake with her lips slightly parted, but the beckoning call of sleep claimed her exhausted body and succumbed to darkness.

* * *

 **I'm giving subtle hints. VERY subtle hints, kind of like easter eggs. If you find them, the more the revelation will make sense and not completely blindside you. If you're not paying attention, it will be a bitch slap to the face. I can promise you that.**

 **HOPE YOU LIKED IT!**


	4. I Got Dem Moves Like Jaguar

"Agh! No, Ruby that's too loose!"

"But Yaaaang!" Ruby whined. "This is the proper way to tie it!"

Yang sighed in disappointment. "Tighter is better."

"That's what she said."

"Shut it, Blake!" Yang shouted, clearly annoyed. "We either do this right or not at all!"

"Ugh," a groan was heard and Weiss stumbled forward with her hand over her eye. "What's with all the yelling?"

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed and ran over to her. "How're ya feeling?"

"Much better," Weiss assured.

Ruby felt her forehead. "Yay! Your fever's gone!"

"How long was I out?"

Ruby held her chin in thought. "Hm… a while."

"I can tell that much, dolt."

The sun was shining brightly for another day. An occasional breeze whipped through their hair, something the girls were thankful for since it was easy to work up a sweat with the rays constantly beaming on their skin.

"Hey, princess!" Yang called. "How ya feelin' sleepyhead?"

"Quiet, brute," Weiss scowled and gazed at the contraption the three had been working on. "What is this?"

It wasn't much, but a green box stood tall and seemed very stable. It was made of several vines, sticks, and leaves. What intrigued Weiss was that it had a stable roof made of logs as the roof.

"It's shelter!" the blonde beamed a smile. "We built it on the shore so we wouldn't have to be in the jungle at night with all the dangerous animals."

That's smart, Weiss thought. They've outdone themselves.

"Is it finished?" Weiss asked.

"No, Ruby made sure of that," Yang huffed.

"Shut up, Yang!" Ruby exclaimed. "Not everyone can build a mini house in the middle of nowhere!"

Weiss walked over and grabbed a vine in the pile of supplies the trio had gathered.

"What're you doing?" Yang asked.

"Helping you finish it," the white-haired girl replied as if the answer was obvious. "What else?"

"Oh no you're not," Yang said. "You take it easy for now. We got this."

"You expect me to sit here while you guys do all the work?" Weiss crossed her arms. "That's ridiculous."

"We're not letting you do much since you were in such bad condition last night," Blake chimed as she finished tying a vine on the side of the fort. "But if you really want to help, make us hair ties."

Yang made sure to go along with it, even though the putting her hair up would help immensely.

"Oh my goooood," she whined. "My hair's getting so annoying!"

"I know," Blake grimaced. "It's hotter than hell. My neck needs some air."

"Eheheehe," Ruby wiped her hands through her scraggly hair. "I'm good."

Yang giggled. "Of course you are, if you tried to put up your short hair it wouldn't even be a nub!"

Blake couldn't help but burst into laughter at the image of a tiny nub on top of Ruby's head.

"Heyyyyy," Ruby whined. "It's not that short!"

Weiss realized they were right. Making hair ties would be helpful and would satisfy them since they seemed to be adamant about her not doing anything strenuous.

"I'll do it," she huffed.

The last thing she wanted was for them to see her as a burden, so she was glad there was something they'd be willing to let her do.

"Ah yes!" Yang cheered. "Shhhh, shhh," she cooed as she nuzzled her long golden locks. "Mama'll take care of you soon."

Weiss gave Yang and look and turned to Ruby. "Is she always like this?"

"Yes," the brunette groaned. "Don't mess with the hair."

"Noted," Weiss replied as she watched Blake desperately try to get stray hair strands out of her face.

Weiss grabbed some of the thinner vines. While the three finished the fort, she had a hard time making a clean cut, but was relieved to see wooden daggers buried under the pile.

It was easy to work through the constant chiding of Yang in the background. Once she was finished making three hair ties, she put her hair up in her favorite hair style, the off-center ponytail and immediately felt relief when a breeze gently caressed the back of her neck.

As soon as she was done, she walked over and handed Yang and Blake their makeshift ponytail holders.

"Ohhh," the blonde drawled when she saw Weiss' appearance. "An off-center pony? Someone's rebellious."

"Shut it, brute," Weiss replied. "I always wear it like this."

Yang tied her hair up in a messy ponytail. "Still, it's different, but not in a bad way," she sent her a wink.

 _She looks so cute_ , Yang internally gawked.

Weiss faintly blushed. "W-whatever. Did it work?"

 _Aw, she's blushing_ , the blonde smiled at the sight. _So cute..._

Yang pulled her hair and nuzzled it again. "Yeaaah, my baby likes that, don't ya?" she lifted her locks at Weiss as it acted like a puppet in a high-pitched voice. "Thanks, princess. I feel soooo much better now and it's alllll thanks to you~"

Weiss raised a hand. "Stop. Now where's the restroom?"

"Bathroom?" Yang was taken aback. "You're on an island. Dig a hole!"

"You're such a barbarian."

Yang was about to retort but Ruby cut her off. "Why don't you go in the ocean like me?"

"You go in the ocean?!" Weiss screeched. "That's disgusting!"

"Better than in the river we drink!" Ruby countered.

Weiss shook her head. "I can't believe this…"

Yang stared at Weiss' injury and noticed that it healed like a charm. "Hey! It looks much better!"

The cut was still there, but only a thin red line remained over her left eye. The bleeding had stopped and the once-horrible gash was now properly healing.

"It feels better," Weiss informed. "Where's the eye patch?"

"In the fort," Yang beamed as she dusted off the debris from the vine. "We just finished!"

Ruby backed away to get a good look at their creation. "Wow! It looks awesome!"

Blake smirked, very proud of them. "Not bad."

The four went in the shelter by removing a small section of wood that stood against the box that acted as a door. Inside, the soft sand was the ground and in the corner was makeshift ground made of dozens of thin vines. On it laid the leaf-patch and the leaf cups, along with the extra water pouch.

Weiss was in awe at the creation and strode to the eye patch. After tying it on, she was relieved that the dull ache had finally subsided.

"It's not much, but it'll do," Yang commented. "This baby can fit all four of us no problem."

The wood and vines acted as the walls and roof. A few of the sun's rays escaped and streaked across the ground and walls, painting the box a bright green color.

"We did a good job," Ruby smiled.

"You made it more difficult," Yang teased. "Always tying the vines too loose."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever!"

"Do you want the fort to collapse?" Yang asked. "If not, tying it tighter is better."

"That's what she said," Blake smirked.

Yang put her hands on her hips. "Those jokes are getting really old."

"Says the girl who makes awful puns," the faunus countered.

"You know they're great…"

Despite their bickering, Weiss noticed the three were tired from working on the fort all day. She caught a glimpse of the extra water in the pouch and poured some in three leaf cups, careful not to waste a single drop.

"I bet you're all thirsty," Weiss said.

That made them stop argueing.

Blake sat down, clearly winded. "Very."

Weiss handed her the leaf-cup full of water. "Here."

The faunus smiled from the gesture. "Thank you," and happily downed the drink.

"No problem," Weiss was about to hand Yang water, but she said something to her sister that didn't make her amused.

"Ruby, we are witnessing a rare display in the wild. Watch as the rare albino cares for her companion and hands her water!"

"Wow!" Ruby gawked, teasingly going along with it.

Yang continued to whisper loudly. "Oh, now she's making a pissed off scowl. What's she mad about?"

"Probably why she puts up with you," Ruby suggested. "Because you're acting like a dick."

"This can't be good," the blonde replied in a loud whisper. "I can see literal fumes coming off her head."

Ruby slowly backed away from Yang when it looked like Weiss was going to explode of anger.

"Shut up, Xiao Long!" Weiss shouted and threw the water in her face. "That's the last time I'll show you any kindness."

Instead of being mad, Yang sighed in relief when the cold water drenched her face and hair. "Ahhh, that feels so nice…"

"You're incorrigible," Weiss crossed her arms and handed the leaf-cup to Ruby.

Ruby eagerly drank the water. "You had that coming."

Yang stood there in a daze, completely refreshed. "This feels soooo good. I'm going to the river."

Blake set her cup down. "Why?"

"Don't you wanna take a break after building this?" Yang gestured all around her. "I'm tellin' ya, this feels like heaven."

Just thinking about cooling off made Ruby excited. "Let's go!"

"It's not like we have anything else to do," Blake agreed.

"Fine, but we're not going unarmed," Weiss added. "And we should get more water while we're there."

"I like your thinkin'!" Yang pat Weiss on the back. "Onward!"

Weiss rolled her eyes but blushed from the contact.

 _Why's she such a brute?_

Blake grabbed the extra water pouch and followed the three out the shelter. Once they were outside, they tied vines to their thighs as makeshift holders for small knives. Once each was strapped on securely, they grabbed bigger spears from the pile and headed out.

Once they were in the jungle, they realized how beautiful the island actually was. The forest was roaring with wildlife. Even though plants were in their path every step of the way, they gave the jungle life.

"I know this place is dangerous," Ruby chirped. "But it's gorgeous."

The bright sun's rays beamed through the dense forestry and hit the spots on the ground the shadows didn't cover. Blake's ears twitched in anticipation around every turn. The sounds ranged from monkeys in the distance to microscopic flies.

"This is the best deserted island I've ever been stranded on," Yang joked.

"Not funny," Weiss deadpanned. "Do we know where we're going?"

"Over here," Blake took the lead and turned.

"How's everyone holding up?" Ruby asked the group.

"Good!" Yang beamed. "The dresses aren't getting in the way and my feet feel great!"

"How about you, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"This is much easier," the white-haired girl smiled. "We are getting pretty good at this."

Just as she said that, she tripped over a root and fell directly into Yang with a yelp.

Yang easily caught the girl. "I guess we are, but you could use some improvement."

The scent of Weiss' hair lingered in the blonde's nose as she embraced the girl with a firm grip.

 _Woah…_ Yang thought. _We've been on this island for a while and I can smell her shampoo? It smells so nice. Like lavender..._

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a flustered voice. "A-are you going to let me go or not?"

"Oh, right," the blonde reluctantly let go. "Sorry 'bout that."

"I-it's fine," Weiss blushed.

Reality returned when they heard a loud thunking noise, which was Ruby slamming into Blake when she suddenly halted.

"Agh! Blake, why'd you-"

Blake covered her hand over Ruby's mouth.

"Be. Quiet."

The trio had never heard Blake's voice like that before. It was full of alarm, and maybe even a hint of fear.

Yang walked over to see what the faunus was afraid of. Behind the trees and by the river, a full-grown big cat was strangling a smaller crocodile.

"A leopard," the blonde whispered.

"Jaguar," Weiss corrected.

"I got dem moves like jaguar," Yang couldn't help herself.

"Leave it to you to make a stupid pun at a time like this," Weiss huffed.

"Are you really surprised?" Blake asked in a low whisper. "She made a pun before we shipwrecked."

Weiss rolled her eyes as the four watched the deadly fight. It was a ferocious display to say the least. The crocodile didn't stop wiggling out of the cat's grasp, thrashing around in the water until its final breath.

"Damn," Yang said. "That thing is savage."

"We need to leave. Now," the faunus knew that if they were caught they'd be in trouble.

"R-right," Ruby agreed as she slowly backed away. "Let's ge-"

Little did Ruby know, a vine was on the forest floor and snagged her foot, causing her to land on her butt with a loud thump.

Blake gasped thinly as she looked from the brunette and big cat. The jaguar lost interest in the kill and turned its head to the direction of the noise. Its eyes pierced through the trees and stared directly at the group.

"It sees us," Weiss whispered. "W-what now?"

"I'll handle it," the blonde said in a tone no one could argue with.

"B-but Yang-" Ruby tried to speak.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Yang flashed a champion smile. "No one's gonna die, I promise."

That smile was all too familiar to Ruby...

"W-wait," Ruby reached out to her sister in an attempt to stop her.

But it was too late, Yang had abandoned the tree line's cover to get in view of the predator.

The jaguar began pacing and growling at the trees, waiting for the unknown to show itself. Yang slowly emerged from cover, careful not to startle the creature.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," the blonde taunted. "You know you want this."

It was just like Yang to put herself in danger for the sake of her friends. She knew this was a dire situation and would preferred her be hurt rather than her friends she knew and loved.

The jaguar just stood there, taking in its opponent's size, seeing if the girl could put up a fight. Once it was sure she was no threat and wouldn't be a formidable opponent, it pounced.

Yang let out a slight yelp when it jumped towards her. She frantically twirled the spear to prepare for a strike, thrusting it in the jaguar's side while hastily dodging out of the way.

The spear only managed to graze the animal's skin, which served to piss it off even more as it crouched down to ready another attack.

"Oh, so you do want some of this?" Yang taunted, making sure to keep the animal's full attention on her.

Before it could attack, an obnoxious sound was heard on the other side of the animal. The predator was completely distracted and bolted towards the noise, abandoning the fight with Yang.

Yang realized it was Blake from the voice.

"OVER HERE YOU STUPID CAT!"

Despite acting confident, the blonde was relieved the animal was no longer focused on her, but feared for Blake's safety, so she chased after the big cat.

Before the jaguar reached Blake, another noise was heard on the other side of the forest, causing the animal to annoyingly tilt its head towards it.

"DON'T HURT MY FRIENDS!"

The noise allowed Ruby to ambush the animal. Jumping out of the bushes directly next to the big cat, she impaled its side using the wooden knife. The animal hissed in pain from the blow as the brunette rolled to the ground.

Ruby, Blake and Yang encircled the predator as it grunted in frustration, trying to pick its next target. Ruby had dealt a blow, but it wasn't fatal as the knife stuck out of its skin. They each had their spears reluctantly in front of them, knowing they were out of their league.

The snarling animal leaped at Blake, but she didn't have time to react and narrowly dodged a lethal swipe. She sprinted to the nearest tree, intent to climb up it. The big cat chased its prey, knowing it would be easy to capture a target in the trees, its home field advantage.

"Blake!" Yang let out a yelp when she knew she couldn't reach her in time.

Ruby tried to bolt after the pair, but when Blake made it halfway up the tree, the predator's paw grabbed her foot as she let out a hiss of pain.

Blake held on the trunk for dear life as the animal was about to drag her down for the kill, its claws piercing her skin. Before it did, however, a sickening crunch rang out.

The jaguar's claws slowly retracted out of Blake's skin as its eyes glazed over. The animal then dropped to the ground with a thump, motionless and devoid of life.

Blake looked down in shock and saw that a long spear had impaled the animal's back and through the heart.

The three were astonished at what had happened. Yang wondered where the weapon came from since she didn't see her sister throw it. Her eyes lingered in the tree tops and saw Weiss standing on a thick branch with a sly smirk.

The blonde smiled while eyeing Weiss. "I take it back. You are cut out for this."

Weiss' smirk never left as she climbed down with ease. "My father owned the most successful weapon's company in the world. I know how to handle a few."

"You really are a surprise badass!" Yang hugged the girl and whispered in her ear. "Thanks for saving Blake, princess."

 _Woah,_ Weiss thought. _She's so strong… and warm._

Weiss allowed herself to lean into the embrace. However, she was struck with a dizzy spell and Yang ended up holding all her weight.

"You're not fully recovered, are you?" the blonde asked worriedly, clinging tightly to the girl in case she fell.

Weiss composed herself and stood on her own. "Not one-hundred percent yet."

"Oh yeah! You never finished eating last night," Yang remembered, keeping a hand on her shoulder as she stared at her with concern. "I can carry you back if you want, it's no-"

"Enough about me," Weiss interjected. "We need to check on Blake."

Yang stared in those azure eyes and saw sheer determination. "Of course. But if you start to feel worse, or anything, you come to me."

 _She's so worried,_ Weiss thought.

"Right," the white-haired girl sternly replied.

Yang nodded and the two broke apart. They walked over to see Ruby checking over Blake's injuries.

Blake leaned on the tree trunk while Ruby poured fresh water over the cuts on her ankle.

The faunus slightly grimaced. "I'm okay. Just four claw marks."

Yang and Weiss bent down closer to inspect the injury.

The blonde sighed in relief. "Good, they aren't deep."

Once Ruby was done cleansing the wounds, she tied an extra piece of seaweed around Blake's ankle.

"Thanks for saving me, Weiss," Blake said, still unsettled. "If you didn't, I would've gotten much worse than a few cuts."

Weiss looked away, not used to people showing her gratitude. "No problem."

"And thanks for treating me, Ruby," Blake grinned with a blush.

The faunus wasn't much of a physical person, but if it was Ruby who initiated the contact, she was happy to let her. It was an unfortunate injury, but she enjoyed every second to its fullest, even though she was almost killed.

"Of course!" Ruby finished the process and smiled, overjoyed that the faunus allowed her to treat the wounds. She stood, anger tinging her voice, a complete 180 from her previous statement. "But you."

"Me?" Yang pointed to herself.

Ruby smacked the side of her sister's head. "How could you!?"

"What was that for?!" Yang yelped as she rubbed her head.

"For sacrificing yourself you idiot!" Ruby shouted. "You think I didn't know what you were trying to do?!"

"Hey, hey," the blonde put a soothing hand on Ruby's shoulder. "It's okay. Everyone's alive. I'm okay, see?"

"You don't get it, Yang!" Ruby's tears threatened to spill over. "Before you left, you smiled. It-it was the same kind of smile mom had before she died…" she was now sobbing. "Y-you almost died! You and Blake! I don't know what I'd do without you guys…"

Yang was shocked from her sister's outburst, but didn't waste a second and hugged her tightly.

"Everything's okay now. I promised you no one would die, remember?"

Ruby sniffled a bit. "Y-yeah."

Weiss and Blake smiled at the union, but Weiss was intrigued that Ruby's mom had died. It reminded her of her own mother's death, but wouldn't question her now.

Blake experimentally poked the downed jaguar. "It's dead."

"Of course it is," Weiss replied. "That was a kill-shot."

"And a damn good one," the blonde added.

The faunus looked from Weiss to the sister's releasing their embrace. "Anyone ever eaten a jaguar?"

"That's weird," Ruby said as she wiped the remaining tears. "This'll taste weird."

"There's no sense sulking over it. This kill will last us for days!" Yang happily beamed. "I'll carry it back."

Presently, the sun was setting for another day to end. After Ruby filled up the makeshift pouch with water, the four headed back to shore a bit unsettled, but glad to be alive after the ordeal.

Once they reached the shoreline and out of the dangerous jungle's grasp, Yang set their prize on the sand. Ruby knew the drill and set up the fire to prepare for the meal.

"I hope it doesn't taste disgusting," Weiss said as she stared uneasily at the carcass.

"This isn't the time to be picky, princess," the blonde replied. "Take what you can get."

"Hm," Weiss crossed her arms. "If it makes me throw up, I'm not eating it."

"Ew," Yang grimaced. "Yeah, if ya do, please don't. You doing okay now?"

"Yes," Weiss smiled. "I'll be fine after we eat."

"Good to hear," the blonde focused on the carcass. "But you might wanna look away."

"Why?"

Yang inserted the knife into the animal's flesh, causing a sickening sound that made Weiss gag.

"Gross!"

Yang let out a chuckle. "Definitely not for the light-hearted."

Weiss got up and walked over to Ruby and Blake to avoid the morbid scene. The two were sitting by the fire, having casual conversation.

"We look so defeated," Blake observed as she stared at her black dress.

Ruby looked over her once beautiful red dress. "Ugh, oh well. There's nothing we can do about it."

"I think Weiss' dress looks the worst though," Blake teased.

What was once a cute summer dress could now pass as everyday trash in the dumpster. The clothing used to be white, but now sported some splotches with a green and brown color.

"Does it look like I give a flying fuck?" Weiss asked the two, her words dripping with sass. "It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone."

"I don't know Weiss," Ruby said. "Those trees look pretty judgmental."

Weiss jokingly faced the jungle. "Take a good look, trees!"

Ruby giggled and stood, joining the girl. "Accept it!"

Blake was happy to join the two. "Embrace it!"

Yang tore her gaze away from the carcass. "What're you nerd lords doin' now?!"

The three let out a few giggles, something they desperately needed after the rough day.

As if to answer their yells, a high-pitched squeal was heard in the distance. The four whipped their heads in the direction of the shoreline and saw rustling in bushes.

Yang got up. "Rubes, cook the food! I'll go check it out!"

Ruby cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted so that Yang could hear. "Don't!"

The blonde stopped in her tracks, cupping her hands over her mouth. "What is it?!"

"You almost died today! You think I'd just forget about that?!"

Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Ehe, I'll take Blakey with me!"

Ruby looked over at Blake to see if it was true, only to already see her rushing to Yang.

"Be careful!" Ruby yelled back.

Yang and Blake set off where the rustling was seen. Sure enough, when they made it to the tree, there was an unexpected visitor.

"Oh my god…" the blonde muttered. "That is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Yang felt like she would die of the cuteness that was in front of her.

Blake gushed at the sight. "Oh my..."

Weiss soon followed and squealed. "AH! It's so cute!" she couldn't stand seeing it on the ground and picked up the animal.

"Brrrrrah!" It yelped. "Brrrrah!"

"I don't think he likes that," the faunus observed.

The animal remained poker faced as it squealed once more.

"Who said it was a boy?" Yang asked. "Her name is Nora."

"Nora?!" Blake shrieked. "Why would you name it Nora?! It's the exact opposite of her!"

"That's why," the blonde giggled. "Plus, she won't stop preaching to the sloth gods."

Weiss couldn't handle the sloth's cuteness as it wrapped around her neck. "Who's a cute wittle sloth? You are! Yes you are!" she said as she nuzzled its head.

"Brrrrah!" It smiled from the affection.

Ruby joined the three when she finished preparing the meal. "CAN WE KEEP IT?!"

"Hell yes," the blonde replied. "Nora the sloth is staying."

"Nora?" Ruby asked. "Why?"

"Don't question it," Blake advised.

"Okay?" Ruby was confused. "Dinner's ready."

"Alright!" Yang beamed.

The four headed off with their new companion, pleasantly greeted with well-cooked meat set on makeshift leaf-plates.

"Wow," Blake was surprised. "This is actually really good," she chewed the meat greedily.

"It's not bad," Weiss agreed. "Reminds me of moules marinières."

The other three stared at each other in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yang asked. "What's that?"

Weiss sighed.

 _I guess I'll have to put it in simpler terms._

"It tastes like chicken."

"Oh."

The four ate their meal in peace while the sloth continued to hug Weiss' neck. Once finished, they retreated to the fort when they realized the sky had been cloudy within the last few hours.

They sat in a circle with the wooden roof firmly above their heads, waiting for the oncoming downpour. The shelter provided them with a sense of safety, something they lacked the last few days.

"I'm glad everyone's okay after today," Weiss mentioned. "I… I didn't know what to expect since I traveled all the time."

"Don't worry about it," Blake replied. "My ankle's feeling better already."

"I'm glad," the white-haired girl said. "But you two."

"Us?" Yang and Ruby said in unison.

"You're sisters, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, we didn't mean to keep it a secret."

"But you look nothing alike!" Weiss exclaimed.

"We're half sisters," the blonde corrected. "I look more like my mom and she looks more like her mom."

Weiss remembered that Ruby said her mom died and figured that now was as good as time as any.

"You… you said your mom died earlier?"

"Ugh, yeah," the brunette was visibly downcast. "She left for work one day and never came back."

"I see… what about you Blake?" Weiss asked, a bit hesitant. "Now that I think about it, I don't know much about you other than the fact that you're a faunus and very good with the outdoors."

 _And the fact that I've seen you somewhere before._

Blake chuckled a bit from the comment and prepared for her answer. "I'm… I'm an orphan."

"Blake, you don't have to-"

"It's fine, Yang," the faunus assured and took a deep breath. "When I was younger, my parents left for a job meeting in Atlas. I never saw them since. I was told they were dead."

 _Where I lived? Weiss thought. I… I lived there when I was so young, before… before they attacked._

"I'm sorry to hear that," Weiss replied. "It seems like all of us have lost at least a parent."

"Not Yang," Ruby chirped. "Her mom and dad are alive."

"Weiss," the blonde said. "Your dad's not dead. Don't count him out and hold onto hope, yeah?"

"I didn't," she replied. "My mom died, but if father's dead too… then I'm an orphan like Blake."

 _Holy shit,_ Yang thought. _This atmosphere is so depressing._

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know," Yang said.

"It's okay. She died a long time ago," Weiss revealed as she stroked the sloth's fur for comfort.

Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder soon rocked the ground.

 _Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse,_ Yang thought.

Ruby yelped in surprise from the noise. "D-do you think the fort will hold?"

"Brrah!" Nora the sloth squealed, uneasy from the storm.

Weiss continued to sooth her fingers on its head in an attempt to comfort the animal.

"No doubt," the blonde beamed a smile. "We spent all day workin' on it! Be confident, will ya?"

Ruby sighed. "You're right."

The rain finally spilled over on the island and fort. Thankfully, the makeshift shelter was strong and kept most of the rain from coming inside, albeit a few drops soaking the sand.

The four were in comfortable silence before Weiss spoke up.

"Is it a bad time to say I forgot to pee?"

* * *

 **Yes, Jaguars can and sometimes do EAT crocodiles. Damn, nature. You scary! This is one of the longer chapters, so I'll try to keep them shorter for you. Also, if you thought this story wouldn't have a sloth, you are severely mistaken.**


	5. Come at Me, Brute

After being stranded for a few days, the group decided to learn more about combat in general. They knew the time may come when they would need to know, even though it was a haunting thought. Naturally, they turned to the person who knew the most about weapons and combat.

"Alright! Listen up, peasants!" Weiss shouted. "We'll start with the basics, like handling and throwing knives."

"Um," Blake mumbled. "Peasants?"

"Brrah!"

The faunus smirked and gently pet Nora the sloth on the head. "Yes… she thinks you're a peasant," she whispered to the sloth.

"Hm," Weiss hummed. "You three are, but not my sweet wittle Nora."

"Brrah!"

Weiss had a stick in hand that acted as a whip, slapping it lightly on top of the faunus' head in between her cat ears. "In this field you _are_ peasants."

Blake's ears flinched when the stick hit her head slightly. Once Weiss lifted it up, the faunus flattened her ears on top of the sore spot.

"Rude!" Yang exclaimed, almost taking offense from the comment.

The white-haired girl raised the stick, silently challenging Yang to speak again. "Did I say you could talk?" she remarked irritably.

Yang beamed a smile. "Nope."

Weiss rolled her eyes and smacked her with the stick on the shoulder, making Yang recoil.

"Ow," the blonde mumbled while gently rubbing her shoulder. "You really are a feisty one, aren't you?"

Weiss crossed her arms and let out an annoyed huff, not regretting the slight pink mark she left on Yang's shoulder.

"So, uh," Ruby stammered. "What's first?"

"After almost getting our asses kicked by that jaguar, you'll learn the basics of combat. You never know when you'll need them, especially since we're stuck on this abomination called an island. Now, you see those poorly crafted knives?" she used the whip to point to the ground. "Pick them up."

The three did as they were told, not liking the idea of being smacked. Weiss already had her wooden knife handy while she watched them cautiously grip the weapons and look back to her for guidance.

"Now what?" Blake asked, twirling the weapon in her fingers. "Do we stab each other?"

The sisters laughed, Weiss didn't find it humorous and glowered, dropping in a defensive stance.

"Come at me, brute," the wooden knife casted at her opponent.

"Me?" Yang pointed to herself.

Weiss smirked as a response, very confident at the challenge.

"You sure about this?" Yang asked, clearly skeptical.

"Positive," she replied. "And don't you dare hold back."

Yang held out her small wooden knife and smirked. "Alright then, my safeword is 'keep going.'"

Blake and Ruby giggled from the comment.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "I won't be needing it."

Her tone suggested she was already done with the day.

"Oh, you will," the blonde remarked mischievously.

"Come on," Weiss taunted. "Show me what you got."

Yang narrowed her eyes and jumped towards the girl, her knife held out. Of course, she wasn't planning to actually stab her, but she wanted to put on a show, hoping to make it look like she tried her best. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Weiss.

In a split second, Weiss had smacked the knife out of her grasp with her own weapon, sending it flying to the side, causing the the weapon to skid across the sand. Yang let out a weak gasp, completely blindsided from the girl's quick reflexes.

Before the blonde could even react, Weiss had grabbed Yang's arm and twirled around her body with sheer momentum. Once Weiss pivoted, she used her leg to kick the blonde's knee, causing it to buckle. She used that brief second to throw Yang over her back, slamming her on the soft sand.

"Brrah!" the sloth had a wry smile at the display.

"Uhhhhh," Yang was in a daze. "W-what…?" she looked up to see Weiss pointing the knife at her.

"You okay, Yang?" Ruby asked.

Yang slowly sat up and rubbed her head. "Damn, princess. Why didn't you do that when we stole your ship?"

Weiss dropped the knife on the ground. "I was caught off guard okay?"

"That was a good defensive move," Blake praised. "How long did it take you to learn that?"

"Well, I could do it for a while, it was just a matter of time to build the muscles required," Weiss informed.

She remembered when her father had taught her numerous combat moves as a child, always taking time out of his day to benefit her. These lessons were sometimes harsh, but now Weiss knew it was for her own good as she silently thanked him.

"You?" Yang snickered. "Muscle?" she burst into laughter.

"How do you think I bashed you in the ground?!" Weiss exclaimed. "Like the brute you are…" she mumbled.

"Okay, okay," the blonde surrendered. "I'll give you that round."

"It's not like you have a choice," Ruby said. "Face it, you got your ass kicked."

Blake chuckled from the comment. "The boxer got beaten."

"You're a boxer?" Weiss asked curiously. "I didn't know that."

"I'm good when it comes to punching and fists," Yang beamed. "But not weapons."

"Interesting…" Weiss mused.

 _Huh… I guess I don't know much about her life back home. Come to think of it, I don't know much about any of them._

"What's up, Weiss?" Ruby asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Nothing. On to the next session."

Blake tilted her head. "Which is?"

Weiss dragged her foot in the sand, making the shape of a circle. "You'll throw knives in this circle. Try to throw with enough force so that it sticks up out of the sand."

Yang examined her wooden knife and the medium circle. "Isn't this how guys learn how to aim their pee?"

Ruby tried to stifle her giggle, but ended up bursting into laughter. The faunus followed right after, while Weiss scowled.

Upon seeing Weiss' reaction, Yang asked. "What? It's true."

Giddy tears breached the corners of Ruby's eyes. "Hahahhaha! Dad," Ruby said in between chuckles. "Dad told us that was a guy's secret!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."

To her it was starting to seem like a comedy session instead of training.

Blake fake wiped a tear. "Oh man. You know, Weiss, you need to lighten up."

"Excuse me?!"

It was Yang's turn to laugh. "We should go to the river soon!"

Weiss groaned, she began to think they weren't going to take this seriously. Just when she was about to lose hope, Ruby spoke with conviction.

"I think I got this," Ruby said, staring at the circle with determination.

Weiss was surprised from the statement. "Go ahead."

Ruby nodded and and heaved her arm back as if she would throw the knife like a ball. Her target was a few meters away and decently big, but she was a novice.

The brunette gripped the handle on the knife and shot it like a rocket directly at the sand circle. Weiss didn't realize her throw would be that swift, so she rolled to the side since the knife was close to her line of fire.

The impact from the knife caused a sand cloud from the sheer force. Once it cleared up, the other three stared at it in awe. The knife was slanted, but nonetheless, it was sticking out of the sand.

Weiss' jaw dropped. "H-how…?"

Ruby swung her arm around in circles while Yang answered for her. "She's the best pitcher on the softball team!"

"That's putting it lightly…" Blake mumbled. "She's the captain."

"Wh-what?" Weiss asked. "What else don't I know about you guys?"

Blake smirked. "I'm good at parkour."

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed, as if agreeing with the faunus.

Yang chuckled. "Of course you are, kitty cat," she smiled. "She uses her reflexes to the max."

 _We actually have quite the skilled group,_ Weiss thought.

"... You're right," Weiss reluctantly stated.

"Huh?" the three asked, not knowing what she was referring to.

"You are the best people to get stranded with," Weiss admitted. "Although I'd rather not be stuck here."

"Aw shucks," the blonde waved off. "We know!"

"Don't get full of yourself," the white-haired girl scoffed. "This is just the beginning."

The three groaned at the thought of putting in more physical effort in the sweltering heat.

Before Weiss could continue with the training, Ruby spoke up when she realized she wasn't the only one suffering. "Let's take a break!"

"River anyone?" Yang asked.

Blake shrugged. "We could use it. It's hotter than hell."

"Even the kitty agrees!" Yang beamed. "Come on, princess."

"Brrah!" Nora yelped.

Blake ran her fingers through the sloth's fur. "You're too hot…" she murmured worriedly.

Weiss had to admit, working up a sweat in the sweltering sun was uncomfortable. It was obvious the heat was taking a toll on the other three, with sweat beading down their faces. They weren't too keen on staying that way, either.

"Fine," she agreed, "but I get Nora."

"YES!" Yang cheered. "Let's go!"

The four headed into the jungle. Once on the edge of the treeline, Blake handed Weiss the sloth. The animal giddily smiled as she was transferred from one person to the next.

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed and wrapped her arms around Weiss' neck.

Weiss pet the sloth. "We're going to cool down, would you like to join?"

"Brrah!" Nora grinned.

"You're such a good girl~" Weiss cooed. "Yes you are~"

"Brrah!"

"Jeez," Yang playfully rolled her eyes. "If only you showed us maybe even an ounce of that kindness," she teased.

"Hm!" Weiss huffed. "It's funny. You're implying you deserve kindness."

Blake chuckled. "Would you like some ice for that burn?"

"The princess is being a dictator today," Yang said as she smacked a tree branch.

"Brrah!" the sloth nuzzled her head in the crook of Weiss' neck.

"Nora begs to differ," Weiss stated.

The group finally reached close to the edge of the river. To make sure it was safe, Ruby threw a rock into the water, causing a splash. Some startled birds flew out of the trees, but it seemed clear.

"It's safe," the brunette called.

They slowly dipped their bodies in the water, savoring the coolness. Each person was cautious, knowing danger was lurking at every turn. Blake was the most reluctant to get in the water, but she knew she had to do it unless she wanted heat stroke.

Once they started treading, Ruby swam over to Weiss and playfully splashed water in her face.

"Gah! What're you doing, dolt?!"

Ruby stopped the pitiful assault and gasped. "We should play a game!"

"No," Weiss firmly replied.

Blake said in a monotone voice. "I want to play a game."

Yang smirked. "No one wants to watch your creepy ass horror movies, kitten."

"Your loss…" the faunus mumbled.

"Oh!" Ruby had an epiphany. "A breath holding contest!"

"I'm so in!" Yang exclaimed. "Who's the judge?"

"You," Blake suggested.

"Aw, kitten!" Yang pouted. "Why me?"

"Because I want to compete against Ruby and Weiss," the faunus reasoned.

The two took that as a challenge.

Yang was surprised that the cat faunus didn't mind going under water. She gathered it was because she finally got the chance to cool down.

"Bring it on," Weiss huffed. "I can't refuse a challenge."

"Ohhhh I like it!" Ruby exclaimed. "Come on, Yang! Just for one round, please?"

"Fine…" Yang gave in.

Ruby pumped her fist in the air. "Yes!"

"When I count to three, you guys go under water, okay?" Yang said.

"Okay," they replied in unison.

"Wait," Weiss chimed. "Here," she unwrapped the sloth from her neck.

Yang reached out and Nora climbed her arm and clung to the blonde's back. "Thanks, we don't want Nora to drown."

"Brrah!"

Weiss smiled. "Be a good girl."

"Brrah."

Yang giddily pet the sloth. "Ok, now we'll start!"

"One…." she counted.

The three glared at the opponents.

"Two…"

They continued to tread water calmly.

"Three!"

Blake, Ruby and Weiss sharply inhaled and sank underwater.

Meanwhile, Yang was silently counting the seconds in her head. After fifteen seconds, Ruby was the first to emerge with bubbles breaching the surface. The blonde was surprised the first person to emerge wasn't Blake.

She inhaled for air and looked around, only to see Yang's face. "Darn it! I lost?"

"Yep," Yang chuckled.

"How long?"

"Fifteen seconds. You suck," the blonde deadpanned.

Ruby pouted. "How long has it been now?"

"Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two…"

Ruby counted along in her head with her sister. Once they hit fifty-five, Blake emerged.

"Ha," Blake smirked. "Beat you all."

Ruby pointed to where bubbles were sputtering under the surface. "Weiss is still under."

"W-what?!" Blake was shocked. "But that was a record for me!"

Ruby shrugged. "Hey, at least you beat me. I got fifteen seconds," she giggled.

Blake's jaw dropped. "How long has it been?"

Yang counted out loud again. "Seventy-two, seventy-three…"

"Wha-what?" Ruby was speechless. "Is she alive?"

Blake pointed to the bubbles. "She's slowly exhaling."

"Whew, so she's okay," Ruby said. "How's she still under anyways?"

Blake shrugged. "Maybe good lungs? I'm not sure."

"Guys," Yang interrupted. "It's almost been two minutes."

The two went wide-eyed and Blake grew more concerned when the air bubbles stopped forming.

"I-is she really dead?!" Ruby fretted.

Yang basically tossed the sloth to Ruby. "Be right back!" and frantically dove underwater after taking a deep breath.

Nora the sloth let out a squeal, but landed safely in Ruby's arms. After adjusting Nora on her shoulders, Blake and Ruby stared at each other.

"If she died, it's your fault," Blake accused jokingly.

Ruby whimpered. "She didn't! Don't say that."

Yang breached the surface with Weiss in her arms.

The white-haired girl fought out of her grasp. "I wasn't done you brute!"

The three took note that she didn't even seem to be out of breath and was relatively calm.

"How long could you stay under anyways!?" Yang yelled. "We thought you drowned or something…"

"I have good lung capacity," Weiss huffed. "It comes with being a singer."

"You can sing?" Yang asked. "I wanna hear!"

"No," Weiss shut that thought down.

"Awww come on!" Ruby whined. "Just this once?"

"No," Weiss firmly replied. "Now stop asking."

Ruby sighed. "Ok…"

Yang smirked. "I'll hear it one day."

"Whatever, brute," Weiss looked away, slightly blushing at the thought of her singing just for Yang.

"Want to head back?" Blake asked. "I've been in the water long enough."

The others agreed, along with a slight squeal from Nora. The faunus quickly trudged back on the grass, intent to dry off as soon as possible. The others soon followed when they heard Yang sigh heavily.

"Aw," Yang pouted. "I never went."

The group made their way back into the jungle, beginning their trek back to shore.

"Suck it up," Ruby laughed. "You can next time if you remember."

"Fineeeeee," the blonde drawled. "But the winner was Weiss in case you guys were wondering."

"Gee, I couldn't tell," the faunus said sarcastically.

Ruby chuckled. "She whooped our butts."

"Yeah, yeah," Blake waved off. She wasn't used to losing at something. Her faunus traits provided an edge in a lot of different competitions back home.

Ruby hobbled over a mud puddle, once she looked back up, something caught her eye. It was a dark shade of white, and the item barely peered out from a vibrant bush. Unable to contain her curiosity, she darted over, thinking it was some kind of food.

"Ruby!" Yang yelped. "Where're you goin'?!"

"Calm down, Yang!" Ruby shouted. "I just wanna check something!"

Ruby smiled and whispered in Nora's ear. "We are gonna check something out! You in?"

"Brrah!" the sloth happily agreed.

Blake, Weiss and Yang stood there in a daze, staring at each other. They silently debated if they should follow the brunette, but a piercing shriek answered for them as they rushed over to Ruby, who was crawling backwards frantically.

"What's wrong, Rubes?!" Yang asked, skeptical of how terrified her sister looked.

Ruby pointed. "A-are t-those… bones?!"

"Brrah!" even the laid-back sloth was caught off guard from Ruby's reaction.

The three stared where she pointed, carefully examining the pile. To get a better look, Blake swiped the bush's leaves out of the way and saw the shape of a human skull.

"Gah!" Blake cowered back, taken off guard. "T-they're remains!"

"Oh my god…" Yang mumbled. "We're not the first ones to be stuck here."

"Are you sure they aren't animal remains?" Weiss asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it and hoping that it wasn't actual human bones.

The faunus' eyes were still widened and she nodded. "That's a human skull."

The confidence in her tone caused Weiss to keep looking at the dirtied skull. She took a step back, suddenly feeling a bit nauseated.

Ruby broke the silence. "Do we really have a chance? To survive this?"

Yang was still baffled by the pile of bones, but knew something. "This person was more than likely alone. This time is different."

Ruby, Blake and Weiss looked up at the blonde.

"How?" Ruby asked feebly.

"We have each other."

The others nodded reassuringly amongst each other.

"Right," Weiss agreed. "We'll be just fine."

"No one is gonna die," the blonde said confidently. "Not like this skeleton…"

Blake stared at the pile of bones uneasily. "We should do something about this."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean we should do something about the remains," Blake explained. "They need a proper burial."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Weiss asked. "We don't have shovels or anything."

Yang walked further into the brush and returned with several flat stones in her hands. "We can use these," she said, handing out the stones to the others.

"Right," Ruby said.

She and the others knew that one of the fallen deserved a proper resting place, no matter how much they didn't want to touch the specimens.

The girls got on their knees and began clawing away at the dirt beneath them. It took a while until the hole was deep enough, and their hands were completely covered in dirt by the time they'd finished, but nonetheless, they'd dug a hole deep enough to bury the bones.

Weiss and Yang had begun the task of pushing the bones into the hole.

Yang noticed Weiss' uneasiness at the idea of moving the bones and grinned mischievously. "What's the matter, princess? You act like you've never buried a dead person before!"

Weiss' expression changed, and she smiled slightly. "Who's to say I haven't?"

Yang was taken off guard by the response. "W-what?"

Weiss chuckled. "Relax, you brute. I was joking."

"Oh!" Yang sighed. "Good, I couldn't tell."

"... or was I?" Weiss raised a sinister eyebrow, glaring at Yang before the two of them broke out in laughter.

Ruby leaned in Blake's ear. "Only they can laugh while burying bones…"

Blake nodded and blushed, caught off guard from Ruby's gentle breath in her sensitive ear.

After the two of them had finally transferred the bones into the hole, Blake and Ruby stepped in to do the burying.

"I hope we never have to do something like this again…" Ruby murmured, scooping the dirt into the hole with her bare hands.

"Don't worry," Blake reassured her. "We won't."

Ruby seemed more at ease after hearing that, and the two of them finished the burial process.

Blake wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed. "Anybody want to say a few words?"

"I do," Yang said as she stepped before the freshly filled hole. "Goodbye, nameless skeleton. We hardly knew you."

"Yang!" Weiss chided. "If you could be serious for once in your life, that'd be nice."

The blonde flinched from the scolding as she looked down at the ground in shame.

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'll do it."

Everyone stepped aside for Blake as she approached the burial mound. "I don't know how to do this… but we hope you can finally rest peacefully, kindred spirit."

"I suppose that's good enough," Weiss sighed. "Come on, let's head back."

"Brrah!"

The group had turned their backs to the grave and returned the way they came. Everything seemed to go smoothly up until this point, but now the real dangers struck their minds. They walked back in silence, now more anxious about being stranded than ever before.

* * *

 **This chapter wasn't even written in the story until I went back and added it in. It's here for… reasons. Anywho, I hope you liked it! Don't worry, it won't be long until the plot advances, but at this moment things need to slowly graduate to get to that point!**


	6. This is Unbelavable

"I don't know, Weiss. We've been here for a while…"

"It hasn't even been that long."

"Then why do I have a beard?"

"It's not a beard, Ruby. Take the fucking seaweed off your face."

"Noooo," Ruby whined. "This is its new home!"

Weiss snagged the seaweed. "You are such a dolt."

"Brrah!"

The two stared at the sloth around Weiss' neck. "See? Even Nora agrees."

Ruby was saddened that her beard was now dirtied on the sand. "Aw… you guys are mean."

The animal visibly frowned from the comment.

"Oh no," Ruby waved her hands. "Not you. I mean Weiss. Just Weiss is mean!"

The corners of Nora's lips turned up to their usual smile.

Ruby sighed in relief. "Whew. I don't know what I'd do if you hated me. Weiss I can handle."

"Hey!" Weiss flicked some sand on the brunette.

Ruby giggled. "You know I love ya, Weiss!"

"Whatever, dolt," she huffed. "What are the plans for today?"

Ruby leisurely laid back and gazed at the bright sky. "Hm… I guess we'll have to see! I mean, we have food, water, shelter…"

Weiss joined her in the sky gazing. "Whatever we're in the mood for, huh?"

Ruby giggled as she enjoyed the calm sun's rays. "I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for being rescued."

"That doesn't sound too bad," the white-haired girl agreed. "Right, Nora?"

"Brrah!"

The sky shone brightly for another day. The night before, the shelter had shielded the group from the downpour, allowing them to get some much needed rest and refreshed for the days ahead.

For now, the two simply enjoyed the nice weather, thankful that it wasn't as scorching hot as before, but hot nonetheless. Blake and Yang were a short distance away, sharpening some of their spears.

Two colorful birds popped out of the jungle, repeatedly squawking at each other and circled the air above Weiss and Ruby.

"They're beautiful," Weiss was in awe at nature's beauty. "What are they doing?"

Ruby was dazed from the sight. "I don't know, but they seem pissed."

Blake and Yang joined the pair and couldn't tear their eyes off the scene.

"They're trying to become each other's mates," Blake informed. "If those kinds of parrots don't find a mate, they get lonely and die."

Yang's jaw dropped. "They die of loneliness?"

"Yes," Blake smirked. "Sad, huh?"

"Just a tad," the blonde replied.

"They shouldn't be picky then," Weiss chimed. "If it's that much of a struggle between life and death…"

The two colorful birds continued screeching at each other.

"They're a couple already, huh?" Yang giggled.

"I don't think we have to worry about them," Ruby smiled. "Look," she pointed to the sky.

The birds eventually stopped screeching at each other and started to fly around in peace.

"Looks like it's going well," the faunus observed. "The ritual must've succeeded."

"I bet the girl won the argument," Ruby chirped. "We always win."

"There ya go buddy!" Yang cheered. "Get some!"

"You are such a brute," Weiss said.

Yang chuckled. "A brute with awesome hair," she tugged her hair around to nuzzle her cheek against it.

"I have to say," Blake tugged her hair too. "These hair ties work well."

"You did a good job, princess!" Yang pat her on the back. "These are the strongest hair ties I've ever used."

"Because they're made of vines," Weiss deadpanned.

"Are any of you thirsty?" Ruby asked. "Just sitting out here works up a sweat."

Blake sighed. "Very."

Yang pumped her fist in the air. "To the shelter!"

"Brrah!"

"And god dammit!" Yang exclaimed. "Why isn't Nora chillin' with me?"

Ruby tried to cheer her up. "Yang, it's-"

"No!" Yang shouted. "I'm the one that found you, why don't you like me?"

The sloth tilted its head slowly to Weiss. "Brrah."

Ruby looked from the sloth to Yang. "She says she likes Weiss."

"I can tell, thank you very much," the blonde pouted.

Weiss sighed and gazed at the sloth lovingly.

 _I had no idea it bothered her that much._

She leaned in to the sloth's ear and whispered. "I'm going to let Yang borrow you, okay? Be a good girl."

Nora stared at her with calculating eyes. "Brrah."

Weiss smiled. "Good."

As Weiss stood up, Yang gave her a confused look. Weiss carefully unwrapped the sloth around her neck and set the animal around Yang's.

The blonde's eyes were twinkling. "Aw, thanks princess! Nora, you're so cute, you know that?"

 _Wow, that made her day,_ Weiss thought.

The sloth slightly tightened its grip around her neck. "Brrah!"

"Ah yay!" the blonde beamed with joy. "Nora loves me~"

Blake facepalmed. "How old are you again?"

"Shut up, Blake," Yang countered. "Nora's with me now," she strutted her way to the fort.

Ruby faced Weiss. "Maybe you shouldn't have given Nora to her."

Weiss smiled at the sight of Yang giddily walking to the shelter. "Let her have her moment."

* * *

The group drank some much needed water in the fort. Nora even got her own leaf-cup and slowly gulped down the treat with a smile on her face. They then finished eating the jaguar carcass by the fire, completely satisfied after the meal.

"Hopefully someone sees the smoke," Weiss said.

She was referring to the S.O.S. signal the group had lit. Being on the island wasn't too bad, but they weren't planning on staying there for the rest of their lives.

"It's no use moping about it," Ruby chimed. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to sit here all day."

"There's an adventure right behind you," Yang beamed. "Let's go explore!"

Blake shrugged. "It's not like there's anything else to do."

"Before we go," Ruby added. "How're the cuts?"

Blake bent down and untied the seaweed around her ankle. "They're already scabs, see?"

The injury was once dripping with blood, and now it could pass off as any domestic cat's scratch. Not something from a wild, menacing animal.

"Wow…" Ruby gawked. "And your head?"

"Oh," Blake gently rubbed it. "It stopped hurting a long time ago."

The brunette sighed in relief. "I'm glad," she turned to Weiss. "What about your eye?"

Weiss gently lifted the leave-patch. "It's much better."

The same held true for her injury, with a single red line going down her eye. The mark was already healing and well on the way to recovery.

Ruby giggled. "Salt water helps a lot!"

"It also hurts like hell," the faunus deadpanned.

"YOU GUYS COMIN' OR NOT?" Yang shouted as she stood by the tree line with the sloth around her neck. "WE'RE LOSIN' DAYLIGHT!"

"COMING!" Ruby happily shouted back.

The group began their trek through the jungle, excited to explore it during the day when they could properly see. Its was still dangerous, so they made sure to bring along the wooden knives that were strapped to their thighs.

"Any idea where we're going?" Weiss asked the three.

"Nope~" the blonde happily sang. "But we aren't going to that river for a while."

Ruby chuckled. "You can say that again."

Blake gasped when she saw a tree that was much taller than the others. "Be… be right back!"

"Where're you going?!" Weiss asked. "We're supposed to stay together!"

The three watched Blake shoot up the tree faster than a rocket, using her claws as leverage.

"Kitty had the urge," Yang giggled. "Sometimes she just can't help herself."

As Weiss watched the faunus scope her surroundings, a thought breached her mind.

 _Why do I keep thinking she's familiar? Or that I know her? I've lived on Never More almost my whole life, unless I met her before then. But that's not likely. Does she remind me of someone I know? All that I know about her is that she's an orphan, a faunus, and cares for the people close to her._

 _That's it._

 _There's no way I know her._

 _It's just not possible…_

 _Then why do I feel this way?!_

When she was about to tug her hair in frustration, Blake pointed in the distance. "I know where we're going!"

Ruby shouted so Blake could hear. "Where!?"

The faunus slid down the tree with ease. "It's a surprise," she grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

Ruby immediately blushed when the faunus held her hand. At this point, she was happy with any contact with the faunus at all. Blake happily took the lead and was excited to show her friends what she saw. It was something she had been eager to explore since she was a little girl.

The group followed Blake without thought. The continued to thrash the dense shrubbery that got in their path to move quickly. After a few minutes of twisting and turning, they had arrived.

Out of the tree line and directly in front of them, a mountain stood tall that was covered in soot.

Each of them stared up at the large monstrosity in bewilderment.

"Is this what I think it is?" Weiss asked.

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed.

Blake nodded. "It's a volcano."

"Holy shit!" the blonde picked up some of the gray colored dirt to test the texture. "Is it active?"

"Relax," the faunus said. "It's dormant. The lack of smoke proves that."

"I'm goin' to the top," Yang chirped. "Anyone want to join?"

"I've never seen the inside of a volcano before!" Ruby beamed. "Count me in!"

"Only if we stay safely on the rim," Weiss chimed. "No one's falling in."

"Agreed," Ruby replied.

The three headed to the top. It was a simple trek in their flats, but still taxing, especially in the heat. However, they persevered and soon made it on top of the rim after pulling themselves up.

Not only could they see the inside of the volcano, but also the entire island. Trees scoured the forest with the ocean in the distance.

"Woooow!" Ruby beamed as she gazed down the volcano. "Why's it an icky white-green color?"

"You mean like Weiss' dress?" the blonde joked.

"Shut up, brute," Weiss fumed. "Yours doesn't look much better."

Yang scanned her once yellow dress and found she was right. It was worn and torn, disheveled to no return. It once burned brightly but now adorned more of a light brown pallor.

"Anyways, it's because of the sulfur," Weiss answered. "Don't breath in too much. Too much sulfurous vapors can be harmful."

"It's also because of the lava not being used," the faunus added as she gaped at the sight.

"R-right," the brunette was starting to get intimidated by the death trap.

Meanwhile, Yang wanted a better view, so she got on the edge and shouted inside the volcano.

"ECHO!"

The yell reverberated all the way down and Yang laughed as a result.

"Don't get too close," Blake warned.

"Don't worry," the blonde waved off. "I'm not gonna-"

Yang's heel slipped on a loose rock. Her momentum carried her body straight into the gaping mouth of the volcano.

Horror was written on her face as her body took the plunge. She heard Ruby call her name, but as the grim reality of the situation sunk into her brain, she closed her eyes, preparing herself for the long descent into death's cold embrace.

She cursed herself, knowing that the sloth was still around her neck. The last thing she wanted was to drag down another soul.

However, the next thing she knew, she was dangling in mid-air. When she dared open her eyes, she saw pale hands firmly wrapped around her arm, refusing to let go.

"Princess?"

"Brrah!" Nora squealed, clinging more tightly than ever to Yang's neck, almost choking the girl.

Weiss grunted from the extra weight. "Y-you brute!"

Blake and Ruby wasted no time and grabbed Yang's arm to help.

"This is _unbeLAVAble,_ " the blonde couldn't help but joke.

The three ignored her joke and focused on the situation. Together, they pulled Yang up and out of danger with ease.

The three flung Yang in the air, which led her to land on top of something soft. Her bleary eyes took a moment to register what was going on. Her hands were firmly on the hard ground as she tried to pull herself up in a daze.

"-ang, Yang?" a concerned, soft voice reached her ears. "Are you okay?"

Yang felt a cold hand settle on her cheek. She squinted her eyes and saw the worried expression belonged to Weiss.

Yang's eyes widened when she realized their position. She was directly on top of the girl, their eyes firmly on each other.

 _Oh my gosh,_ Yang thought, a blush forming on her cheeks. _She's so close! And she's so worried about me._

"Y-yeah!" the blonde got off Weiss. "U-um, thanks to you."

"Ehem," Ruby interrupted. "And us," she pointed to Blake, who was worriedly checking Ruby over for injuries.

When Blake knew that she was okay, she rolled her eyes. "You couldn't have waited for the pun for when we actually saved you?!"

Yang chuckled. "Of all things, you're mad about that?"

Ruby smacked Yang on the head. "You're such an idiot!"

Yang rubbed her head. "I'm _sulfur_ sorry."

"First the jaguar, then this!?" Ruby scolded her sister. "Stop giving me heart attacks!"

Sensing her sister was deeply worried, Yang sighed. "I'm sorry, Ruby."

The brunette smiled and hugged Yang. "Still, I'm glad you're okay."

Yang grinned and returned the embrace. "Me too, Rubes. I'm glad none of you fell in with me."

"I would've jumped in after you," Ruby muttered.

The sisters broke apart and Yang faced the three.

"Thanks for saving my life, guys. Especially you, princess. If you didn't grab me first I woulda…"

Weiss held her hand up to silence her. "No need to thank me, brute."

The blonde grinned when it was obvious to her that Weiss cared about her well-being, but had trouble expressing it with words.

"But really," Yang said genuinely. "Thank you."

"N-no problem," Weiss blushed. "Now let's get out of here before you decide to jump in again."

"Oh, haha," the blonde replied with sarcasm evident. "So funny."

 _That was too close,_ Weiss thought. _I-I'm so glad she's okay. I refuse to let anyone die._

They slid down the mountain as fast as they could to get away from the death trap. Once they made it safely down the volcano, a grumbling noise rang out.

"Ehehe," Ruby rubbed her stomach. "Anyone else hungry?"

"I could go for something," Blake said. "We might find some fruit in the forest."

"ONWARD!" Ruby yelled and sped off.

"Is she always this energetic?" Weiss asked the two.

"You have no idea," Yang laughed.

They headed back in the forest once more, hoping to find something good to eat. After a few minutes of scrummaging, Blake found a tiny bush hidden behind a tree. This was about the tenth bush she had found and searched for food. Biting her lip in anticipation, she turned over the leaves and was relieved to find dozens of berries.

"Guys!" she called. "I found food!"

The three rushed over and Blake handed each of them a berry.

Blake popped one in her mouth. "It's not poisonous or anything. In fact, it's the best tasting berry I've ever had."

"Yes!" Ruby cheered with glee. "Something other than fish!"

Yang raised her eyebrows and bit down on the treat. She wasn't expecting something so flavorful, but loved being proven wrong. "Oh my god it's sooooooo good! Blakey, you're a genius!"

"Ahhhh," Ruby sighed in relief. "These taste awesome!" she popped several more in her mouth.

Weiss stood next to Yang, picking some more of the delicious berries that adorned the bush. As she placed a few of the delectable orbs in her mouth, she noticed that Yang was humming a surprisingly chipper tune.

"Why are you so upbeat?" Weiss casually asked.

"What do you mean?" Yang replied before dropping a few berries into her mouth. "We found food!"

Weiss shrugged. "I just figured you'd be a little more shaken up, considering you almost fell to your death."

Without warning, Yang whirled around and threw her arms around Weiss' neck, locking her in an unexpected hug. "And I wouldn't be here if you didn't save me!"

To Yang's surprise, the girl she was embracing began trembling silently, biting her lip and attempting to stifle her sobs.

"H-hey," Yang tried to get a look of her face, but Weiss buried it in her shoulder. "Why're you crying?"

"I-I already lost someone once. A-and my father might be gone too," Weiss tried to keep a steady voice. "It can't happen again, it just can't."

Yang gently soothed her fingers through her flowing white hair. "No one's gonna die. I promised all of you that, remember?"

"Y-yes," Weiss wiped the tears as she began to calm down. She smiled as she stared into Yang's kind, lilac eyes.

As if to help cheer her up, Nora the sloth squealed. "Brrah!"

"Aww," Yang cooed. "Nora wants to cheer you up, too."

Weiss sniffled a bit. "Thank you, brute, Nora."

"No problem, princess," the blonde faintly whispered.

The two gazed into each other's eyes, glad that everyone was okay.

Suddenly, Yang felt a dripping sensation on her shoulder.

Her eyes widened at the realization. "Nora…? Did you..?"

The sloth sent her a smug smile. "Brrrrah!"

Yang screamed a scream that echoed for miles.

The three covered their ears as birds flew out of the tree tops from fear.

Blake was in the middle of feeding Ruby berries when she heard the shriek. "What is it?!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross!" Yang pried Nora off her shoulders and handed her to Weiss. "Nora shit on me!"

"Hehehe!" Ruby couldn't stop laughing. "I can't wait to tell the actual Nora!"

Weiss reluctantly held out the sloth. "Don't give her to me!"

"I guess what happened earlier scared her the shit out of her," Blake smirked. "Literally."

* * *

 **LOL some of your reviews and PMs crack me up. They truly make my day! Nora the Sloth's antics always brighten up the atmosphere xD**


	7. To the Batcave!

"Come on, Blake! You can do this!" Ruby shouted.

"B-but-"

Yang cut her off. "No buts! Just grab it!"

That comment caused Ruby to snicker. "Hehehe, butts."

Weiss gave her a look. "What are you, five?"

Ruby pouted and sank her lips on the surface of the water, blowing thousands of tiny droplets at Weiss.

"Agh!" Weiss held her hands out to block the attack. "Stop it!"

Ruby snickered and continued the assault.

Yang ignored the two. "If ya do this, you'll be more superior than all the cats in the land!"

Blake cursed herself, knowing she _hated_ water. Yeah, she already got in the river, but the ocean was different. It was more vast and… salty. Her friends seemed to be enjoying swimming in the cool ocean, and she was getting lonely on shore. The scorching sun had been beating down on her for a few hours now, and she could use some relief.

"Fine!" she reluctantly shouted back.

Yang pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! That's my brave kitty cat!"

Not only were the three swimming in the ocean, they found vines to help swing them in to have more fun. Predators were lurking below, but the group decided that they needed some much needed amusement after what they've been through the last few days.

The faunus took a deep breath to prepare herself. She kicked off her black flats and hesitantly grabbed a lengthy, green vine that had swung the other three in the ocean.

"You can do it, Blake!" Ruby encouraged. "I promise it's worth it!"

Weiss looked over and saw a bubbly smile on the brunette's face like she was on cloud nine, causing her to shake her head. "Apparently, _too_ worth it…"

Blake jumped off the mini-cliff with a yelp, immediately regretting her decision. She swung directly to the three who were treading water, causing them to hastily scurry out of the way.

She hit the water and immediately felt refreshed. The ocean wasn't freezing, but not hot either. Her head breached the top and she opened her mouth to gasp, air filling her lungs.

Yang stared at the faunus and chuckled, proud of the joke she planned to say. "You're such a _wet pussy_."

Blake frowned. "You wanted me to jump in just for that stupid pun, didn't you?"

"You know me so well~" the blonde teased. "The water isn't so bad, is it?"

"No," Blake shook her head. "This feels nice."

"Does your cuts hurt?" Yang asked. "I know they hurt more in salt water, so-"

"Yang," Blake interjected. "They're fine."

The blonde smiled, so happy that her friend had recovered. She turned around when she heard a splashing sound, only to see Ruby swimming after Weiss, who was trying to desperately get away from her.

"I noticed the princess ditched the leave-patch, too," Yang grinned. "Looks like everyone's recovering nicely."

Blake tread the water, savoring the coolness. "Yes, everything's finally calmed down. You were right. We needed this."

The two looked over when they heard Weiss yelp. "Gah! Ruby, get off me!"

Ruby hugged the girl tightly. "Aw, you know you love me!"

"Still," Yang continued. "I hope it doesn't take forever to get off this island."

Blake floated on her back. "We have an S.O.S. signal lit at all times. Let's just try to enjoy ourselves. This won't last forever."

The blonde took those words to heart, glad that Blake at least thought they had a chance to get leave the island. The black smoke lingered up high in the distance.

"You're right," Yang floated on her back and linked arms with Blake so they wouldn't drift apart. "Lets look at this as a vacay."

The faunus couldn't help but snicker. "An unexpected vacay."

"Ahhhh," Yang sighed in relief. "Can't get over how good this feels…"

"Good thing it's never cold here," Blake muttered. "We got lucky."

Yang laughed from the comment. "Still too hot."

The two heard shouting in the distance, from what they could tell, it was from Weiss.

"Ruby get off me or so help me-"

"Just accept it, Weiss!" Ruby beamed. "Accept my love!"

Weiss trudged back on shore with Ruby teetering behind. "If you keep following me, I'll get Nora to shit on you like she did to Yang!"

The brunette gasped in feigned horror. "You wouldn't!"

Weiss carefully picked up the sloth, who was chilling on a tree trunk in the shade while the four swam. "I would."

"Brrah!" Nora squealed in delight.

Weiss wrapped the animal around her neck. "She agrees."

"Nora!" Ruby yelped. "How could you? I'm hurt!"

"Brrah," Nora cooed and nuzzled Weiss' neck, eliciting a smile from the white-haired girl.

"You like Weiss so much you'd crap on people for her?" Ruby asked. "That's true friendship right there."

Weiss stifled a giggle.

Yang and Blake joined the two on shore, the blonde wondering what the yelling was about.

"What're you arguing about now?" she asked.

"Reprimand your sister, brute," Weiss seethed. "I can only take so much physical contact."

Yang took this as her chance to tease the girl and wrapped her arms around her neck, careful not to disturb the sloth. "Awww, you know you love it~"

Weiss was fuming and yanked away, slightly blushing. "S-stop that," she weakly protested. "I swear, you two will be the death of me."

The blonde got butterflies in her stomach at the mere sight of Weiss blushing. "A-anyways," she saw the smoke barely linger in the air. "We should make the fire stronger. Rubes, can you get some wood?"

"Aye, aye!" Ruby mocked a salute and sped off to the tree lines, careful not to venture too far in the jungle.

While the other three tried to keep the S.O.S signal flaring, Ruby set out on her mission. It didn't take long to find several large twigs that could easily be snapped off the trees. Once she had gathered a large amount, she turned course to head back to shore.

She stepped on what she thought was a tree root, only to hear it hiss.

"AGH!" the brunette screamed, dropping the supplies and falling backwards in terror.

The root began to slither its way to Ruby, spitting out its tongue to get a whiff of the girl.

As it approached her foot, she started crawling backwards desperately. "S-s-snake!"

The reptile was faster than she thought, just as it was about to strike her ankle, a black blur dashed in front of her.

Ruby looked up and saw Blake shielding her, with the spear in hand. Apparently, the faunus had smacked the snake back with her weapon, temporarily stunning it.

"You okay?" Blake asked, eyes firmly on the dazed snake.

"Y-yeah," Ruby replied as she found her feet to stand. "Thanks."

Blake twirled the spear and got in a defensive position. "Don't thank me yet."

The snake slowly slithered its way back to the pair, carefully taking in its opponent. Blake made sure to stay in front of Ruby, the last thing she wanted was to see her get hurt.

The reptile let out another menacing hiss, debating to lunge or not. Blake made sure to keep the spear in its view in an attempt to intimidate it.

The plan failed, however, and as the snake was about to strike, it felt its tail being jabbed.

It turned its head to the attacker, hissing in pain.

"Weiss!" Blake yelped.

Weiss took her spear out of the tail and got in a defensive position, waiting for the snake to strike. It slithered angrily to the girl as she backed away, terrified of what she got herself into.

Before the reptile could even lunge, its head was impaled in the side from an unknown assailant.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, still shaken. "You did it!"

The blonde smirked and took out the weapon from the snake's head. "Everyone okay?"

Weiss let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you, Yang."

Yang was speechless. She remembered that on the first day they shipwrecked, Weiss said she would never thank her for anything. Up until this point, it rang true, but the blonde could tell she was genuine.

"You're welcome," the blonde beamed a smile.

The snake's body began to spasm even though its eyes were devoid of life. This caused the four to jump back in surprise.

"It's okay," Blake assured. "Its nerves are still working, but it's dead."

"Whew," Ruby wiped her forehead in relief. "Anyone ever eaten a snake?"

The four grimaced as they stared at the twitching carcass.

"We can't eat it," Blake informed. "That type's poisonous."

"Holy shit!" Yang exclaimed. "Why didn't you say that before!?"

"Poisonous or not," the faunus said. "No one wants to get bitten by that."

"Is everyone really okay?" Weiss asked. "No one got bitten or anything?"

Ruby hugged Blake. "Thank you, Blake," she whispered in her ear. "If you didn't show up in time I would've gotten poisoned."

Blake happily returned the embrace with a smile and savored the comforting warmth, not wanting to let go. "Y-you're welcome, Ruby…" she whispered lightly.

Yang smiled at the sight. "I think we're okay."

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed.

The four smiled at Nora, glad that no one got hurt. Weiss pet the animal for being cheery after the ordeal, but they whipped their heads to the tree tops when they heard rustling.

In the distance, a smaller monkey was hanging on one of the branches, cautiously inspecting the group.

"Ruby," the blonde called. "Grab the sticks. We need to get out of here."

Ruby and Blake reluctantly separated from Yang's call.

Blake's cat ear flicked to the tree tops, where she saw the small monkey. "It just wants the snake carcass," she informed. "Move slowly so we don't startle it."

The three nodded and slowly backed away from the snake's lifeless body, careful not to disturb the monkey. Once they were far enough away, the monkey picked up the carcass and started to nibble on it.

Now on the shore, Yang turned to Blake. "I thought you said they were poisonous?"

"The monkey probably built up an immunity to certain poisons," the faunus inferred. "It looked older, so it probably knew it wouldn't be affected."

"You're too smart for your own good," Ruby chirped, still holding the pile of sticks.

"Only in certain areas…" Weiss mumbled.

Blake caught the statement. "What?"

"Nothing!"

"This place is savage," Yang said. "It's a cruel world out there. That little shit took our meal."

"We couldn't eat it anyways!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yeah," the blonde sighed. "But it was still our trophy, ya know?"

Ruby spat out her tongue in disgust. "The monkey can have it."

The four finally made it back to the fire, where Ruby threw in dozens of sticks she had gathered. Flames engulfed the wood, allowing the smoke to give off a black color, something someone far off the island would hopefully see.

They sat comfortably around the signal, with Nora nuzzling Weiss' neck.

"You know," Ruby started. "I wish Sun saw that monkey. Its tail was just like his."

Weiss tilted her head. "Who's Sun?"

"He's a faunus like me," Blake replied. "He's a funny guy."

She smiled fondly when she remembered the boy never left his house without a few bananas, even keeping some leftovers in his pocket. He knew that he lived up to the stereotype and was proud of it.

"Not as funny as me though," Yang said. "Mama's the queen of jokes."

Blake scoffed. "Puns aren't jokes. They're just lame."

Yang gasped and put her hand dramatically over her chest. "I'm hurt, truly."

Ruby sat with her hands wrapped around her knees. "Anyone feel gross?"

"Now that you mention it," Blake grabbed her ponytail to inspect her hair. "Yes."

"Anyone want to go to the river?" Weiss asked. "We can wash off, get food and more water."

"Sounds good to me," the blonde beamed.

"But," Ruby said, still shaken up from last time. "The last time…"

Yang gazed firmly in her silver eyes. "We'll be more careful. If anything happens, we'll have weapons and each other, got it?"

Ruby gulped. "Right."

"Then it's settled," the faunus smirked. "Let's go. I want to get the salt water out of my hair."

"You can say that again," Weiss chimed.

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed, as if agreeing to take a bath too.

* * *

"Don't go too far," Yang called. "You never know what's in there!"

After examining their surroundings, the group determined that it was okay to enter the fresh river, certain that no predators were present. Their spears were left on the dry grass near the edge of the river in case of an emergency, their wooden knives, however, were still strapped to their thighs.

The water was just above Ruby's knees as she savored the cool feeling. "I feel better already!"

Surprisingly, Blake was the first one to put her full body in the water, seeming to be the one to enjoy it the most. Her, Weiss and Yang took out their makeshift hair ties for now and washed out any debris that was ailing their hair.

"Brrah!"

Nora the sloth enjoyed the soothing bath, still wrapped around Weiss' neck.

"Want me to hold her?" the faunus asked. "You should wash your neck too."

Weiss smiled. "Here," she gently unwrapped the animal and held her above water to set her in Blake's grasp.

Presently, all of them freely swam in the refreshing river, making sure to also clean their torn dresses.

"Brrah!" Nora had a smug smile present.

The sloth's fur had taken most of the heat during the day. She was used to being in the shade for long periods of time, so the clean water was kind of like solace.

Weiss sighed in relief. "This was a good idea."

"Wait," Yang swam up to the girl. "You have something in your hair," she reached out and carefully removed a tiny leaf.

 _Woah,_ Yang thought. _Her hair's so soft…_

The blonde kept holding her hair, staring at it in awe.

"Are you done?" Weiss' voice reached her ears.

"O-oh um, yeah," Yang snapped out of her thoughts. "You're all clean now! Except that dress."

"This is the best it's going to get," Weiss replied. "It's like you said, we can't be picky."

Yang chuckled. "You're right. I mean, I'm right. As usual."

Weiss smirked and flicked some water on her face. "You're such a brute."

The blonde giggled while stroking her hair, still cleaning it. "And you're such a princess."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"Brrah!" the sloth could tell its favorite human was in distress, trying to cheer her up.

"God dammit!" the blonde cursed. "The freaking sloth is backin' you up?!"

Blake and Weiss laughed, the faunus smirked and stroked Nora while she was around her neck. "It's kind of sweet."

The faunus trickled some water on the sloth's head since it was the only part on her body that wasn't under water.

Ruby joined the group and tread the water beside Blake. "We really are keeping her, aren't we?"

Yang swam over to the faunus and Nora, petting the sloth's head. "I don't know why you thought I was kidding."

"She hasn't eaten in awhile," Weiss stated. "I'll get her leaves."

"Oh, good idea!" Ruby beamed. "Meanwhile I'll catch some fish! Can you guys handle the water?"

"You got it, Rubes," Yang nudged Blake. "Leave it to us."

After doing their assigned chores, the sun was setting for another day to end. Some clouds were looming in the distance, signalling another storm was brewing.

They trudged through the forest and back to the shore, thankful it wasn't too long of a walk. Ruby threw the sticks in the fire to make it burn more brightly in the dimmed night as they sat around it.

Weiss took turns taking a bite out of her fish and feeding the sloth some leaves. She grabbed a leaf from the pile of leaves and put it to up to the animal, who was still around her neck.

"Brrah!" Nora yelped as she curled her tongue around another leaf.

Weiss smiled and then nibbled on the fish. "You like it?"

"Brrah!"

Yang chomped down on her meal, pouting. "Nora, don't you love me?"

The sloth stared at Yang with calculating eyes, silent, leaving Yang to lower her head in shame.

"Oh man," Ruby chimed. "I can't wait to tell human Nora about this."

Blake had finished her fish a while ago. "I wonder how they're all doing…"

"Hopefully Pyrrha and Jaune are together now," Ruby chirped. "He's so dense."

Blake shook her head. "I don't know what she sees in him."

Yang grinned. "How about the lovely faunus couple Sun and Velvet?"

"They're so cute together~" Ruby cooed. "Remember when he had a crush on Blake?"

"She shot him down pretty quickly," Yang chuckled. "Poor guy didn't see it coming."

Blake faintly blushed. "O-only because there's someone else."

"Who?" Yang asked curiously. "Spill the beans!"

"Let's just say they're someone close to me," the faunus mumbled.

Ruby's eyes widened at the revelation, with a deep sinking feeling in her chest. Since she thought it wasn't her the faunus was referring to, she reluctantly didn't press the matter.

"Aw come on," Yang pressed. "That's not an answer."

Weiss read the atmosphere and could tell the faunus was getting uncomfortable. "Drop it, brute."

"Okay, okay," the blonde surrendered.

A breeze started to pick up as the eerie clouds drew closer to the island.

"Tell me more about school," Weiss said. "I've… I've never been, so I'm curious."

"What?!" Ruby yelped. "You've never been to school?!"

Weiss wrapped her arms around her legs, gazing at the fire. "Let's just say my father's overprotective."

Blake held her chin in thought. "Let's see… there's gym class. I have that with Yang and she always takes it seriously."

"Hey!" Yang exclaimed. "It's fun that way!"

Ruby gave her sister thumbs down. "Boo!"

Blake continued. "This one time we had a food fight with our friends Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren."

"It was intense," Ruby added. "Yang took on Nora with turkeys on her fists!"

"She used them as boxing gloves," Blake chuckled from the memory. "But Nora had a watermelon on a stick and literally knocked her out of the ceiling."

"Wait, woah, woah," Weiss interjected. "Is that the Nora you named the sloth after?"

"Yep!" Yang added.

"But can you believe it?" Ruby asked. "Yang was knocked outta the room!"

Weiss' jaw dropped. "Literally?!"

Yang giggled. "That was nothing compared to when Blake took on Pyrrha with really stiff baguettes. Seriously though, no food should be that stale."

"It was like a sword fight!" Ruby exclaimed. "But with bread!"

"It was awesome," the blonde said. "But not as awesome as Ruby surfing on top of the tables using a food tray!"

Weiss gave the three a look. "How did that mess get cleaned up?!"

"Ms. Goodwitch," the three said in unison.

Yang continued. "You should've seen the look on her face when she saw the mess!"

Blake and Ruby bursted into laughter from the memory.

 _School sounds like so much fun,_ Weiss thought. _I wish I could go…_

The blonde noticed Weiss looked downcast. "Hey princess, I bet you had a blast on that yacht of yours, too."

That seemed to make Weiss more sad. "It… it wasn't as great as you think," she stroked the sloth for comfort. "I grew up isolated from the outside world on Never More. My only social interactions were with my father and guests at the parties he hosted."

Blake's eyes widened and her tone softened. "We're sorry. We had no idea."

"It wasn't so bad," the white-haired girl said. "Some of the guests were nice, and father was always there for me."

Weiss gazed at the sky, finding the moon was almost covered by the dark clouds. Her azure orbs stared at the moon that was shining brightly as she remembered it was her only connection with her father.

 _Hey dad,_ she thought. _I'm holding on to hope. It's difficult, but… You're strong. I miss you._

"Well," the blonde chimed. "You're stuck with us now!"

Ruby smiled. "Whether you like it or not."

Weiss tore her gaze off the now clouded moon. "Literally."

The other three slightly giggled from the comment.

The first drops of rain drizzled on the group, irritating the fire. The sloth slowly tilted her head up to the sky, enjoying the calm droplets.

"We should get inside the shelter," Blake suggested. "There'll be a downpour any minute."

The four stood and wiped the sand off their dresses.

"To the batcave!" Yang exclaimed and bolted down the shore.

The other three sprinted after their friend, who held the makeshift door open for their arrival.

"Batcave?" Weiss questioned as Yang closed the door. "Really?"

"Yep!" Yang said proudly. She walked up to Weiss and put her hand on her shoulder. "Be ready, Robin! The Joker might be lurking in the shadows."

"You are such a nerd."


	8. Marco Polo

**Hey guys! I'm updating earlier than usual because I need to tell you something! Long story short, a group of friends and I are going to RTX, BUT we have an extra ticket. It's totally FREE, the catch? The knowledge that it won't go to waste, because I know some of you would kill to be there. I've updated early to give you a heads up, so hopefully you'll have time to message me and get things sorted out. Anyways, just PM me for details, because I REALLY don't want this ticket to go to waste when someone can go and have a blast!**

* * *

Over a month passed since Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang washed up on the beach of their own private island. Not only were the girls surviving, they were thriving.

By now, they had a general direction of where certain things on the desolate island were located. They knew that most of the predators were concentrated in the center of the island, and that the best place to stay was near the outer rim. They could read the weather patterns simply from feeling the temperature in the air and observing the cloud formations. Their little group had become almost entirely self-sufficient.

Ruby was their beacon of hope, never letting a depressing situation get the better of them. She couldn't stand her friends being sad and cheered them up the best she could. She and Blake worked well as a team, catching the fish for their meals.

Weiss was the most skilled with weapons in the group. Her father's early lessons had taught her everything from simple knives to wielding the battle axe. She has been proven to be the one most fearful of anyone dying, going to extreme lengths to make sure that doesn't happen. She's also in charge of Nora the sloth's needs and allows her friends to take turns holding the gentle creature.

Blake was the most knowledgeable of the group. She inspected any food they brought in, only allowing them to only eat certain foods. If the food was questionable, they ditched it completely and ate only the things they knew were safe and not poisonous. Her general background knowledge and love for the wild allowed her to provide information whenever they explored.

Yang had taken the role of the provider. Whenever the group caught an animal to eat, she would do the dirty work and prepare it for a meal. She was also the most protective person of the bunch, refusing to let anyone out of her sight in certain situations. Always on top of things, and the one who made sure the S.O.S. fire was burning brightly at all times.

The four sported serious tans, now used to the sun's rays. They had plenty of weapons and supplies gathered by this point, ready to be used in case of an emergency.

After being stranded on the island for so long, the group had grown close. There was no doubt that they would each take a bullet for each other by this point, no matter how terrifying the situation may be.

* * *

"Brrah!"

Blake smiled and pet the sloth that was wrapped around her neck. "No wonder Weiss likes you so much. You're pretty light, cute, fluffy, sweet and cute… did I say cute?"

Nora the sloth rubbed her neck against Blake's cheek. "Brrah!"

Yang sighed. "Does Nora like everyone but me?"

"I guess we'll see later if she craps on Blake," Ruby snickered from the memory of Yang panicking when the sloth pooped on her shoulder.

"Have you guys found anything yet?!" Weiss called from a distance.

"Not yet!" Ruby shouted back. "Yang's sulking about the sloth again!"

The faunus heard Weiss say. "Typical brute," under her breath as she continued flipping over leaves in search of food.

They were scavenging for berries for about an hour by this point. The trees allowed no sun's rays to enter the jungle, and they were relieved for that. Eating fish all the time got a little tiring, so they decided to gather as much berries as possible and keep a stash hidden in their fort.

The four explored cautiously, careful not to disturb the seemingly quiet jungle. They made it a rule to never go back in the wilderness without a weapon, each carrying their own spears and back up knives. Since this was unknown territory, they made sure to stick close together.

"I found some!" Weiss called.

The three rushed over and Blake took the berry to inspect it. "Clear," she popped the delectable orb in her mouth.

Ruby was practically drooling from the fruity deliciousness. "I want to smother them in a sandwich and take it to school!"

Yang chuckled. "Can you imagine? Someone questioning you like: where'd you get those epic berries, Ruby?" she made her voice more high-pitched to mimic her sister. "Oh, nowhere special, just the deserted island I was stranded on."

Ruby ate a few more while giggling. "These are one of a kind!"

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed.

"Yeesh," Yang looked at the sloth. "You sure are restless today."

"Brrah! Brrah!" Nora continued yelping.

Blake noticed that the animal was shuddering, as if she was terrified of something. Her cat ears twitched to scan their surroundings, now more cautious.

Weiss looked at the two imploringly. "What's wrong, Nora?"

"Brrah! Brrah! Brrrrrrah!" Nora slowly tilted her head to the tree tops.

The group looked up and saw a monkey, and a small one at that. The sun created a silhouette against the foliage.

"It's a baby," Blake observed. "Be quiet."

The girls obeyed and watched the monkey slink its way to the ground. Its eyes never left the four as it hopped over to the bushes and greedily picked a few berries.

"Aw…" the blonde mumbled. "The little asshole is taking our food…"

They began backing away slowly with their weapons in hand, not sure if the monkey felt threatened or not.

The monkey took a whiff of the bush the four had been picking earlier and hissed.

Weiss' eyes widened. "Does it not like us?"

"It's our scent," Blake informed. "That was probably his bush before and we took some of his food."

Ruby stifled a laugh. "Hehe bush."

Weiss jabbed Ruby in the ribs with her elbow, eliciting a grunt. "Now's not the time."

The monkey picked another berry and let out a menacing screech, knowing its territory had been violated by humans. It turned its head back to the four girls, getting on all fours, swaying back and forth in an attempt to make itself look bigger.

"We need to go," Blake demanded. "Now."

"You don't have to say it twice," Yang whispered, eyes firmly on the animal.

The four continued backing away with their weapons in the monkey's view in a silent attempt to convince it not to attack.

However, that made things worse when the animal screeched even louder, its pointy daggers called teeth in plain view.

"Brrah!" Nora screeched. "Brrah!"

Their eyes went wide when they heard more rustling in the bushes and trees above them. The noise struck fear in their hearts. Deep down they knew what was happening.

"No one move," the faunus whispered.

The girls froze in their tracks, eyes darting to the trees. Dozens of bigger monkeys lurked on the branches, their faces wore pissed off scowls.

Little did they know, the little monkey called its clan to back him up in the encounter. They were now staring down the girls like gangbusters.

Ruby held back a gasp. "Wh-what do we do?"

"Back away slowly," the faunus muttered. "And lower the spears."

The faunus knew that the shoreline was a little ways away, but if they needed to, they could hopefully make it to the ocean unharmed.

The three obeyed her command, each step was agonizing as the stand-off persisted. The monkey's clan was attempting to protect one of their own, so Blake had hoped that they wouldn't see them as a threat if they calmly took their leave.

Nora was deathly still around Blake's neck, causing her to be more anxious. The sloth usually had such a laid back attitude, so if this was scaring her…

The little monkey that found the bush screeched once more, calling to initiate the attack.

The clan leaped out of the trees, hissing at their prey.

"Run!" Blake yelped as she turned around to bolt away.

Ruby, Yang and Weiss quickly followed and sprinted through the jungle, careful not to trip on any straying vines while the horde viciously snarled and chased them.

Blake however, was too focused on getting away, intent to not let the sloth get hurt. She ended up tripping on a large rock and slammed to the ground with a yelp.

"Blake!" Yang screamed when she realized a monkey was vastly approaching the downed girl.

Ruby was the fastest and jumped in front of Blake, impaling the monkey that had lunged itself at the easy target. Yang kept running towards the two, but Weiss made it there before her and swooped in to grab Blake's hand, helping her up. The faunus quickly found her footing and the four bolted.

The horde spent the time catching up to the girls, now just to the side of them, leaping in the trees while snarling, intent on massacring them. A monkey lunged at Yang, but Weiss was quicker, throwing her wooden knife with sheer precision as it struck its brain while it was in mid-leap, causing the animal to drop dead on the forest floor.

"Th-thanks princess!" Yang shouted as they continued running.

Weiss broke out of a combat stance and was silent, too focused on the surrounding horde.

Another tiny monkey was faster than the rest of the clan, easily catching up to grab Ruby's foot. She slightly lost her balance, but thankfully her sister was nearby and viciously kicked the wild animal, punting it in the bushes.

"Almost there!" Blake shouted.

Ruby ran next to her. "Get in the ocean!"

They were still in the jungle, but could see the shore behind the tree line's cover. Knowing it was their safe haven, they picked up the pace if that was even possible. The ocean's tides kept rocking, as if it was calling to the group to hurry.

Weiss purposefully darted into a set of particularly thick branches that blocked their path. Once behind them, she yanked them back and let the branches swing forwards, effectively knocking a few of the closest monkeys on the ground, leaving them in a daze.

Now behind the group, she sprinted after them as they all escaped the forest they now called a death trap. The four dashed across shore to the ocean.

About ten monkeys dared leaped out of the jungle, chasing the slowest target.

In Ruby's peripheral vision, she saw a monkey dangerously close to Weiss as she tried to pick up the pace, panting for breath.

The brunette had a plan in mind and yelled. "Weiss! Jump to the left!"

The white-haired girl obeyed and completely changed course, abruptly stomping her foot in the sand and jumped to the side and tumbled.

The monkey was caught off guard and slid in the sand, attempting to follow its target as it lost friction.

During that time, Ruby had pulled out her wooden knife and shot it at the animal. By then, Weiss had gotten up and ran to the ocean to join Blake and Yang, who were already treading water.

The monkey screeched in pain from the knife being impaled in its side. Ruby felt awful for causing it harm and not an immediate kill-shot, but she saw the oncoming horde and joined her friends in the ocean.

The remaining clan stopped at the shoreline, screeching at the girls and paced back and forth.

"I-is everyone okay?" Yang asked.

"Yep!" Ruby said, still shaken up from the ordeal. "That was scary."

"Brrah!" the sloth agreed, now more calm after getting away from the primates.

"Looks like they're giving up," Weiss pointed. "Look."

The horde snarled one last time and headed back into the jungle, taking a devastating blow from their losses. The animal Ruby had impaled tried to teeter behind the group, but dropped on the sand, lifeless with the knife sticking out of its skin.

The clan ignored one of the fallen and disappeared in the jungle.

Yang clenched her jaw. "This place is brutal."

"Survival of the fittest," Blake chimed, although not proud of what happened. "I guess that one could be our meal for today since we didn't get many berries…"

Sensing it was okay to go back on land, Yang swam in front of the group. "Those god damned monkeys think they own the place."

"Technically they do," Weiss deadpanned.

"Shut up," the blonde said in a teasing tone. "I didn't want to hurt them… they were so cute."

Now on land, Ruby hugged her sister.

"Says the girl who punted that monkey one hundred feet away," Ruby laughed.

Yang ruffled her sister's hair. "Hey, he deserved that. I didn't want to do it, but no one hurts my baby sister. Not even a cute, little… vicious monkey."

Weiss smiled at the sister's embrace. "I know this is the worst possible time to say this, but I want, no, _need_ a bath."

Blake grimaced. "Nora feels gross on my neck. The salt water feels nasty."

"Here," Ruby held out her hands. "I'll take her."

Blake unwrapped the sloth and handed her over to Ruby.

Ruby happily set Nora on her shoulders. "Haha, you do feel gross."

"Brrah!"

"Are you saying you want to go back in there!?" Yang exclaimed, taken aback by what they were saying. "Are you crazy?!"

"We can take a different route," Ruby suggested. "We'll take the long way, on the other side of the island."

"You want to also?!" Yang yelped. "Am I the only sane one here? We almost died!"

Weiss put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll go a different way. Plus," she lifted Yang's ponytail and removed a tiny stick. "You could use a bath too."

Lilac and cerulean eyes met, with Yang in a daze at the girl's beauty.

Ruby's jaw dropped at the sight. Yang purposefully allowed Weiss to touch her hair and even blushed from the contact. Yang would be mad if even her sister touched her hair. The brunette could only count on one hand how many times she was allowed to brush the flowing golden locks.

Blake smirked at the sight and nudged Ruby. "Jealous?"

"Uh, yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "What the heck? She won't even let _me_ let me do that and I'm her sister."

Blake's smirk turned into a knowing grin. "This is different."

"How?"

"You'll see. Sooner or later…" the faunus mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Seeing Ruby so curious made Blake chuckle a bit. "Be patient," she put a reassuring hand on her head.

Ruby's silver eyes stared lovingly at Blake. "Guess I'll have to."

"So what's the plan?" Yang asked the three.

"All in favor of taking a different route, say 'I,'" Ruby beamed.

Blake smiled. "It seems efficient."

"I suppose it will be fine," Weiss chimed.

"Looks like majority rules," Yang mumbled.

"Aw," Ruby was downcast. "None of you said 'I.'"

The four plus Nora walked around the outer rim of the island, careful to avoid the monkey troop. They never left the shoreline and when they knew it was safe, walked in the jungle with their spears at the ready.

After whacking some annoying vines out of their path for several minutes and avoiding deep mud puddles created from the downpours, the river was in sight.

The girls crouched down, scanning the perimeter for predators.

"Is it clear?" Ruby asked.

"Seems like it," Yang replied. "I'll go first to make sure."

Ruby didn't want her sister to put herself in harm's way, but knew Yang would argue if she tried to stop her. So she reluctantly allowed her sister to leave the tree's protective cover.

The blonde smacked the wooden spear against the a nearby rock, creating a loud thump. A few birds flew out of their nests in the trees above, but the area was clear of any predators lurking near the freshwater river.

"It's clear!" she called back to the three.

The girls left the dense forest and entered the water, feeling instant relief as the coolness washed over them.

"Ahhhhh," Blake groaned as she floated on her back. "This feels so good."

Ruby gently trickled some water on the sloth's head as she tread water. "We needed this."

Weiss happily swam next to Yang. "Aren't you glad we did this, Yang?"

Yang stared at Weiss' wry grin. "Yeah, yeah."

The blonde never liked admitting she was wrong, but didn't mind if it was Weiss who did exactly that.

Ruby sighed contently and ran her fingers through her wet hair. "Ahhh…"

"Woah, Rubes," Yang gasped. "Your hair's longer!"

"Well yeah," Ruby replied knowingly. "It's not like I can cut it regularly while we're stuck here."

Blake smiled. "Long or short, it looks good," she said genuinely.

The comment caused Ruby to blush. "T-thanks Blake."

"Weiss!" Yang called. "You're gonna have to make Rubes an honorary vine hair tie!"

"It's not _that_ much longer, Yang!" Ruby chirped.

The brunette was right, it wouldn't be considered long by any standards, but her hair was certainly longer than when they first shipwrecked. Just passed her shoulders.

"If you put it up now, it wouldn't be a nub!" Yang beamed.

For some reason, Blake always enjoyed the image of a nub on Ruby's head and bursted into laughter.

Weiss came back up from the water to get some air. "I'll make her one when we get back."

"Brrah!"

"Aw," Weiss cooed. "Do you want one too, Nora?"

Ruby pet the sloth that was on her shoulder lovingly. "She does."

"Brrah! Brrah! Brrah!"

"Jeez," Yang chimed. "She's sure excited about a stupid hair tie."

Suddenly, an idea popped in Ruby's head, and she covered her eyes with her hand. "Marco!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Ruby, we're not playing-"

"Polo!" Yang shouted as she hid behind Weiss. "Come find me, Ruby!"

The blind Ruby started to move toward Weiss, her hands out in front of her, trying to find her sister. As Ruby approached, Weiss took a deep breath and sunk underwater, leaving Yang without her human shield.

Ruby lunged forward and tagged Yang in the shoulder. "Gotcha!"

"Alright, Weiss I'm comin' for ya!" Yang laughed before closing her eyes. "Marco!"

Weiss resurfaced and shook the water out of her face. "Yang, that's not how you're supposed to play the game!"

Upon hearing Weiss' voice, Yang lunged toward it with both hands outstretched. "Gotcha!"

Before Yang felt anything, Weiss had silently went under the water again. The blonde was confused when she ended up grabbing air. "Wh-where'd she go?!"

Yang opened her eyes and saw Blake and Ruby whispering to each other in the distance, but no Weiss.

"You can't open your eyes, Yang!" Ruby pointed accusingly. "That's cheating!"

"But where is she?!" Yang yelped, searching all directions for a glimmer of white.

Blake and Ruby snickered in delight when they saw white hair breach the surface directly behind Yang.

"Why're you laugh-"

"Polo!" Weiss shouted and pressed her hand forcefully on top of Yang's head.

This caused the blonde to be dunked underwater, with Weiss huffing in victory.

Yang swiftly drifted up and gasped for breath. She turned around and saw Weiss' smirk.

"Are you tryin' to kill me!?" Yang yelped.

"That's what you get for being an annoyance," Weiss huffed.

"Oh, I'm an annoyance?" Yang pointed to herself. "I see how it is," she splashed some water on the girl while laughing.

Weiss shrieked playfully and shielded her face from the water assault.

"Brrah! Brrah!"

"That's right, Nora!" Weiss shouted over Yang's splashing. "The brute is trying to kill me!"

"Brrah! Brrah!"

"Jeez, we get it!" Yang said and stopped splashing. "You like Weiss. Chill out, will ya?"

"Brrah!"

"Nora's trying to warn us! Look," Ruby pointed toward the shoreline. "A crocodile!"

Further in the distance, lying on the mud, was a giant crocodile basking in the water's freshness.

"And we're leaving," the faunus chuckled. "We aren't taking on that mammoth."

"Thanks for warning us, Nora," Weiss said.

Yang looked over at the reptile. "Holy shit, that thing's a monster!"

"Which is why we're leaving," Ruby grabbed her sister's arm as they swam in a different direction.

The crocodile clearly saw the girls, but didn't mind too much, as it was content with just sitting there. They didn't want to take and chances and swam in the opposite direction. Once on land, they decided to head back to shore, where they would eat the monkey Ruby had killed earlier.

After their journey back to the shore, Ruby set the fire to prepare the meal while Yang cut open the monkey so they could cook it. By this point, the sun was setting for another day, and they were a bit saddened that they weren't rescued.

"Cheer up, guys!" Ruby said in her enduringly cheery voice. "We'll get rescued sooner or later!"

"The question is when," Weiss sighed. "I hope it's soon. I need to see my father… If he's still alive."

Yang put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her in this field as she always did. "He is. He has to be."

Weiss remained silent and let the crackling fire answer for her.

It was hard to hold onto hope after being stuck on the island for so long. However, one thing always kept her going as she stared at the sky. The moon had never changed and was beaming brightly, even in the orange glare.

 _Hey dad,_ Weiss thought while gazing at the moon. _I'm holding onto hope. I hope you're alive and well like me, even though this is an... undesirable situation._

Blake took a sip of water from her leaf-cup. "Can we just take a moment to thank Nora?"

Ruby pet the sloth that was around her neck. "First the monkey troop, then the crocodile? You're a lifesaver."

"Brrah!"

"I hate to admit it but," Yang said. "We couldn't have made it this far without her."

Nora stared at Yang happily, seemingly content with the statement.

"Notice how Nora didn't crap on Ruby," Blake stated. "Or me."

"Shut up, Blakey," the blonde replied irritably. "We all know Nora hates me."

"Brrah," the sloth yelped calmly, as if rejecting the statement.

"Aw, you might love me after all!" Yang's mood improved.

"She's too nice to hate anyone," Ruby handed the sloth some leaves, then fiddled with her new ponytail. "See? It's not a nub."

Yang rolled her eyes after chewing on the monkey meat. "It would have been several weeks ago."

"Whatever!" Ruby replied. "I liked it better when it was shorter."

Blake's gaze never left Ruby's now flowing hair, making sure to carefully admire it. "It looks cute," she looked at the sand, her face burning, and mouth grinning after making the comment.

"T-thanks Blake," Ruby was slightly caught off guard, but could tell the compliment was genuine.

Ruby smiled and ate another piece of meat. "Don't you all feel better after going to the river?"

"Hell yes," Yang chimed. "Mama's baby is so clean," she grabbed her ponytail and nuzzled it, proud of how thick it had gotten.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Still, I'd like to use some actual soap for once."

Ruby laughed. "I'm taking the longest bath of my life when we get outta here."

A sudden breeze picked up, with clouds looming in the distance.

"Another storm," the blonde smiled. "How about an all natural shower?"

Blake put down her leaf-plate. "You guys can do that, but I'm heading inside," the faunus got up and took her leave.

A few droplets descended from the sky, creating a pleasant light drizzle.

Weiss' gaze never left Blake's back as she went inside the fort.

Yang noticed this. "What's up, princess?"

Weiss shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby started. "You think we haven't noticed you staring at Blake all this time?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. _Was it that obvious?_

Ruby continued. "D-do you have a crush on her?"

"What?! No!" Weiss frantically replied.

Yang was glad that wasn't the case."Then what is it?" she asked, curiosity peaked.

"I keep thinking she looks familiar," Weiss confided. "That's all."

The drizzle got powerful enough to kill the fire as it slowly died out.

"Strange," Yang held her chin in thought. "You haven't told her this?"

"No," Weiss said. "I keep trying to think of where I've seen her before, but always come up blank. It couldn't have seen her since I've lived on Never More majority of my life."

"Where'd you live before that?" Ruby asked.

"Atlas," the white-haired girl answered.

"That cold place?" Yang asked. "Huh… I guess it suits you."

Weiss scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means-"

Ruby cut her off. "You know, Blake used to live there a long time ago… before her parents died. Maybe you really did see her at some point."

Weiss was in deep thought. _Maybe… but wouldn't I remember a cat faunus around the same age as me? I lived there when I was so young._

Ruby put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You'll think of it sooner or later. And when you do, we'll be here."

"Brrah!"

Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Ruby, Yang... Nora."

"No problem, princess," the blonde grinned. "Now come on, let's get inside."

* * *

 **Message me if you're even remotely interested about the free ticket for RTX!**


	9. Deus Ex Hermit Crab

**Before this chapter starts I'd like to update you on a few things. So RTX happened (no duh and HYPE FOR RWBY) and long story short, I met up with the fanfic authors: TheDarkenedRose, NobleMETA, MartunaMajor, angelsixtwofive, SylverLining, and Phoenix Commander.**

 **Huge shout-out to them! (They read this fic too). In case you don't know, they're super nice and they showed me such an amazing time at RTX. Thank you so much for everything. I really do appreciate it.**

 **Needless to say, we got along swimmingly and I joined their group called Legion205. It consists of the authors above including: Shadow Nightblade, BurningPeace, lymle300-2, Jefardi, GhostPhoenix113, and now me!**

 **I'll now be helping out on our collab fic called Room 205, so check it out if you get the chance. Don't worry, my own fics will stay on schedule and I still have lots of stories planned for you!**

 **Now please… enjoy the show…**

* * *

A few days after Weiss confided in the sisters about Blake looking familiar, the girls went back to the river they all knew and loved. It was their lifeline, their main food and only fresh water source, so they intended to use it to its full potential.

Surprisingly, Nora the sloth seemed to want to be with Yang today. The blonde happily wrapped the animal around her neck while humming a chipper tune, proud of finally winning her over.

"And…" the blonde aimed her spear at the water, where a fish swam underneath. "Gotcha!"

The spear narrowly missed the fish, causing it to frantically swim away.

"Dammit!" she couldn't help but curse.

"Brrah!"

Yang angrily threw the weapon on the ground. "Yeah, I know Nora. I suck at this."

"It's fine, Yang!" Ruby called. "We got plenty!"

Yang turned around to see Blake throwing their tenth fish in a pile of food.

She walked over to the other three. "Are we done here?"

"Yes," Blake chimed. "This will last us for a while."

The faunus and Weiss began throwing their catches in a makeshift bag made of vines.

"Good job everyone!" Ruby cheered. "Yet another successful day."

Weiss could tell Yang was still sulking, more than likely from not being able to catch a single fish.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. I didn't do well either."

The blonde beamed a smile when she tried to cheer her up. "I just wish I got at least one."

Weiss stifled a laugh. "Which is why Ruby and Blake are the best team for this."

Ruby couldn't help but be giddy from the comment while Blake heaved the makeshift bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go eat," Blake said as she walked deeper in the jungle.

The three followed and began their routine trek back to shore, making sure to follow the black smoke that lingered in the air.

"Why do you suck so much at stabbing fish, Yang?" Ruby teasingly asked as she smacked a branch out of the way.

"Shut it, sis," Yang said. "Not everyone is as talented as you and Blake."

Blake smirked. "A useless talent back home."

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. "That may be, but it's more than useful here."

Ruby blushed from the compliment. "Oh stop it," she waved her hand dismissively.

"I mean it though!" Yang beamed and nudged Weiss. "We're useless sacks of shit without you two!"

"Hey!" Weiss yelped. "What do you mean 'we'?!"

"Exactly as I said," the blonde smiled. "You caught what? One fish?"

"Better than none!"

Blake adjusted the bag on her back. "Let's just be happy we have _something_ to eat."

Weiss sighed. "Eating fish almost every day is getting old."

Yang's mouth began to drool. "I could really go for a cheeseburger right now."

"I miss my cookies," Ruby mumbled.

Blake pat the bag that was on her back. "I'm good."

The three, including Nora, glared daggers at the faunus.

"Lucky you," Yang said irritably. "And your faunus traits... and liking fish…"

"Still," Weiss chimed. "You don't want variety?"

"You're right," Blake agreed. "I could go for some freshly cooked salmon."

"That's still fish," Ruby whined. "You really are built for this."

"Brrah!"

Yang smiled and pet the sloth on the head. "Even Nora thinks so!"

"Brrah! Brrah!" suddenly, the sloth frantically clung to Yang's neck with an iron grip, almost choking the girl.

The blonde realized Nora didn't act this terrified since they almost fell to their death in the volcano. Whatever Nora saw, it couldn't be good.

Curiosity peaked as Yang stared at the sloth. "What's up with yo-"

Suddenly, a rogue gorilla completely blindsided the group. The ape leaped out of the cover of the trees with a menacing snarl and pounded its fists on the ground.

Horror was written on their faces when the beast caught them off guard. The girls jumped back in shock, startled from the threatening presence.

The beast greedily sniffed the air, sensing food was nearby. It was smaller than the average gorilla, but still an adult. Blake gathered that it was hungry and needed any easily available food. Blake's eyes darted from the bag full of fish on her back to the animal.

She gulped, knowing that she was in deep trouble.

Not surprisingly, the ape lunged at Blake first. She barely had time to block a menacing swipe with her spear. The collision caused it to fly out of her grasp as she stumbled back and landed on her rear. She was like a deer in headlights as she stared in the predator's fearless eyes.

Before the animal could land a fatal hit, Ruby ran in with a war cry and impaled the beast with a spear directly in the side of its stomach. The ape grunted in pain, holding the spot where it was struck. Ruby was relieved that she gave Blake time to get away, but slowly backed away in fear when the ape's roar pierced the air.

The animal snarled at its assailant and punched Ruby, sending her flying before she collided against a boulder with a thump.

"Ruby!" Yang yelped.

Seeing her sister lay on the ground motionless set off her nerves. Yang wore a pissed off glower as she readied her spear for a strike. When the ape turned its back to finish Ruby off, Yang jumped and impaled the animal in the back.

The ape snarled in pain, displaying its deadly teeth. Now with two spears lodged in its body, the animal grew weak. Even though it was in dire need of food, it still wielded immense strength.

The beast grasped the weapon embedded in its body, furious to see its blood on its palm.

Yang slowly backed away, glad that the beast's attention was now on her and not her unresponsive sister.

In a blur of white, the animal was impaled again by a third spear on the same side of its stomach. The ape gasped in pain, trickling its fingers over the wood sticking out of its skin, as if debating to remove it or not.

The animal decided not to and turned its fury at the other girl, roaring in anger.

Weiss slowly backed away with her eyes firmly on the ape, cursing herself for only having a small knife as reinforcement. As she leaned down to grab the wooden knife strapped to her thigh, the beast pounced.

The girl was knocked to the ground while the gorilla straddled her. Weiss pulled out the knife in time and tried to stab the wild animal in the eyes, but it bit the weapon and tore it out of her grasp.

"Weiss!" Yang yelped.

Yang used her back-up knife and stabbed the beast once more, only to be slammed in the gut in response. This sent her tumbling to the ground next to her sister as she gasped from the blow. She writhed in pain on the dirt, trying to desperately gain her bearings.

The ape refocused its attention back on the girl it had pinned down. The only defenses Weiss had left were her arms as the beast swiped. Its nails were as sharp as daggers as they ripped through her left arm. She bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming.

Weiss tried to squirm out from under the gorilla, but it was too strong and heavy for her to even thrash her legs around.

Before the beast could go in for another blow, she saw a spear get lodged in its heart and it came out from the other side.

The animal's eyes glazed over and it fell to the side in a heap.

Blake leaned down and coaxed the frightened girl up. "Are you okay?"

Weiss stood shakily, careful to keep her injured arm out of view. "I-I'm fine," and turned away so the faunus wouldn't worry.

Once Yang and Ruby composed themselves, they joined the pair.

"Is everyone okay?" Yang asked the group.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Just a bruise and a bit shaken up."

"Got punched in the gut," Yang grimaced and rubbed her sore stomach. "Powerful gorilla."

"He sure took us by surprise," Blake added. "Stabbed it at least five times. I saved the fish," she hefted the bag and pat it gratefully.

Ruby's silver eyes lingered on the corpse. "Did _not_ see that coming from a mile away. That gorilla was strong."

To make sure Ruby was okay, Blake walked over and gently soothed her fingers on the back of her head, only to notice Ruby grimace.

"There's a bump," Blake fretted. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive," Ruby chirped as she savored the contact. "Are you?"

Blake nodded. "Thanks to you."

"Brrah!"

"Thanks for savin' me and Nora, princess," Yang beamed. "I owe ya."

Without warning, Yang pulled Weiss in for a hug, but was surprised when the girl let out a gasp of agony.

Yang quickly pulled away. "What's wro-"

Yang's eyes widened when she felt a liquid sensation on her palm. She lifted it up and realized it was covered in blood, but not her own.

That's when Yang noticed Weiss looked deathly pale. "Did you get hurt?!"

"What!?" Blake yelped and gently grabbed the girl in question's hand, holding it out.

Once she turned it over, they saw her left forearm was coated in a layer of blood and dripping on the ground. It was too thick to locate any cuts, but it still looked morbid.

The three gasped at the sight.

"Brrah!"

Ruby wasted no time and pulled out some of their dress' leftover cloth, considering them lucky she kept them the first day they had shipwrecked.

While doing so, Blake asked. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Weiss grit her teeth, trying not to show she was in unspeakable pain. "I won't be a burden."

Ruby was concerned as she wrapped the cloth around her left arm. "You're never a burden. In fact, you can make it worse by not telling us this kind of thing."

Now Weiss looked guilty and didn't feel the cloth being wrapped around the injury due to an adrenaline high.

Yang noticed this. "Other than the messed up arm, did you get hurt anywhere else?"

"No."

Ruby finished tying the cloth around her arm. "There!"

However, blood quickly soaked through it, leaving them to wonder just how deep the wounds were.

Weiss started to raggedly breathe with her arm limp by her side, her adrenaline wearing off.

"We need to get back to shore," Yang suggested. "We can properly treat you there."

She walked over and tried to coax Weiss in her arms, but she pushed away, swaying slightly. "No, I can walk on my… own..."

"Don't be stubborn," Yang was taken aback from the statement and realized just how ridiculous that was, so she held out her hand gently. "Come on."

"I'm... fine…"

Weiss' eyes fluttered shut as she fell to the ground. Thankfully, Yang saw it coming and was there to catch her, firmly wrapping her arms around her frail waist and back.

"She's losing too much blood," Blake stated with worry. "We need to get back."

Yang lifted the girl bridal style. "No need to say it twice!"

They rushed to their usual spot on shore where their shelter was located. After they got there, Yang laid the girl in their fort away from the taxing heat.

Blake poured freshwater over the wounds. When the blood cleared up, she realized how deep the cuts were. "This isn't good," seeing it almost made her gag.

"How bad is it?" Yang asked.

"Two long gashes cut deep into her muscles. They run from her shoulder to wrist and won't stop bleeding," she answered, now pressing the towel against the cuts.

Yang cringed from the diagnosis. "No..." she mumbled as she gazed at Weiss' still pale face.

 _No!_ Yang thought. _This can't be good…_

Ruby removed the door and shut it with a leaf-cup in hand. "I got the saltwater!"

"Hurry," Yang said desperately. "Do it while she's unconscious."

Ruby nodded and took Weiss' limp hand to hold it out. She slowly poured the saltwater from the top of Weiss' shoulder and worked her way to the end of the gashes, which ended on her wrist. Once finished, Blake put more pressure on the wounds with the towel again.

"Dammit," the blonde cursed. "This is my fault."

Blake put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. You know for a fact Weiss wouldn't like that."

Tears threatened to spill over. "But she's like this because she saved me!"

Ruby gazed in Yang's lilac eyes. "She chose to do that. You know any of us would have, too."

"It was her choice," Blake added. "Don't make her feel bad about her decision and stop blaming yourself, okay?"

"Brrah!" the sloth nuzzled Yang's neck in an attempt to comfort her.

Yang briefly smiled and unwrapped Nora from her neck. She gently set the animal on the sand next to Weiss. The three watched with smiles when Nora gently clung to the girl's uninjured right arm.

"Brrah!"

The squeal caused Weiss to stir, making the girls lean in with anticipation.

Weiss opened her eyes and had a firm grip on the sloth in an attempt to hide her pain.

"Brrah!" Nora was caught off guard from the rough contact.

"Sorry," Weiss whispered to the sloth, loosening her grasp.

"Hey, princess," Yang greeted in a soothing voice. "You doin' okay?"

Weiss grit her teeth and stared at the logs on the ceiling. "Do you want the truth... or a lie to make you feel better?"

Yang bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

Weiss was taken aback. "Why?"

"For putting you in harm's way," Yang said, holding back a sob. "I'm sorry."

"Please," Weiss feebly scoffed. "I didn't want you... to get hurt."

Blake noticed the rasp in her voice and grabbed a freshwater leaf-cup. She gently coaxed the girl up, careful not to disturb the injury and tilted the water to her lips. Her friend managed to drink the liquid without incident, but worry struck her heart when she noticed Weiss' eyes were misty and clouded over.

After swallowing the cool water, Weiss sighed in relief after Blake set her head down on the makeshift sand pillow Yang made.

Ruby then set a piece of seaweed on Weiss' forehead, hoping to ease the girl's ailments in any way possible.

"Thank you…" Weiss murmured before her eyes fluttered shut without permission.

"Weiss?" Yang leaned over her and her heart almost stopped when the girl went still. "No, no, no! Weiss?!"

Blake gulped as she stared at the towel that was soaked in blood. She knew what they had to do to save her life, but didn't like the idea.

"Oh no," Ruby gasped. "We need an actual doctor!"

"We don't have that luxury," Blake was blunt. "In our situation, only one thing can make it stop bleeding."

Yang grabbed her shoulders, desperate for a solution. "What?!"

"We have to cauterize it."

"We-we can't do that! Can we?" the blonde panicked, knowing that it would be an agonizing process.

Ruby raised her hand. "Wha-what's 'cauterize' mean?"

Blake stood. "We have to burn the wound to close it up and stop the bleeding."

Ruby's mouth was agape. "You… you're gonna light her on fire?!"

"No, we're not going to light her on fire," Blake stated. "We have to do this, or she'll bleed out and die."

Yang turned to Ruby. "I'm gonna to find something to use."

"I'm coming with you!" Ruby exclaimed as the two ran out of the fort.

"Hurry!" Blake shouted after them. "She doesn't have much time!"

Once outside, Ruby darted to the tree line, not exactly sure what she was looking for. Yang however, frantically searched the sand for any material to burn.

In her peripheral vision, she saw a creature having a hard time picking up something underneath the sand.

The blonde squinted, trying to see what the crab was attempting to pick up. As she moved closer, she noticed its claws were failing to grasp a spoon.

The hermit crab angrily threw its pincers in the air, clearly frustrated with the endeavour.

Yang gasped when she realized that the metal spoon was exactly what they needed.

"Sorry, lil guy," she stole the prize and ran off.

The hermit crab sat there in confusion. If a crab could pout, it would be now.

"Ruby!" Yang held the spoon in the air. "I found a metal spoon!"

Ruby abandoned the search and darted over. "Let's go!"

The two were about to run back inside the fort, but saw Blake was already sitting by the fire next to Weiss, waiting for their return. The faunus had brought the blood soaked towel to keep Weiss' wounds from being dirtied by sand.

The sisters ran to the fire, thankful for the find and handed the spoon to Blake.

Blake held it up to inspect it. "Where'd you get this?"

"Some hermit crab. Poor bastard didn't know what hit 'em," Yang answered. "Now hurry."

"It _looks_ clean enough," Blake said as she laid the large end of the spoon to rest in the fire.

Ruby watched the spoon as it heated up. "You sure this'll work?"

"It has to," the faunus replied.

Once the spoon was a heated to a dull red color, Blake carefully removed it from the fire and held it over Weiss' fresh gashes.

"Not going to lie, Weiss," Blake said to her unconscious body. "This'll hurt."

"Wait," Yang put a hand on her shoulder.

"What?"

The blonde grabbed the towel and tried to dab away as much blood as possible to make the process easier.

"Okay, better," Blake said before lowering the hot metal spoon onto Weiss' skin.

The sound was sickening to their ears as the spoon seared Weiss' milky skin, hissing fiercely as the flesh was slowly burned shut.

Blake quickly withdrew the spoon, then reapplying it a second later. She continued the process, making sure the entirety of the wound was covered. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, and was enough to make Ruby and Yang gag violently.

"Brrah!"

The whole time, Nora had been on Weiss' good right arm. Yang figured more heat would be taxing, so she pried the sloth off and wrapped the animal around her own neck. She knew Nora didn't want to leave her side, but she also wanted Weiss to be as comfortable as possible.

"Don't worry, Nora. She'll get better."

 _Please work,_ Yang begged. _I don't know what I'd do if she died..._

Weiss didn't even open her eyes to register the agony her body was enduring. She started to thrash around and gasp for breath to escape the pain. This caused Blake to have a hard time continuing the process.

"Hold her down!" she yelped.

Ruby stared at Blake and realized that would be for the best. "O-okay!"

Yang and Ruby pinned the girl's limbs down in an attempt to not let Weiss hurt herself as Blake continued, working through the screams that pierced the air.

Despite two people holding her down, Weiss was surprisingly strong and even managed to kick Yang's face during the ordeal.

"Gah!" Yang exclaimed and grabbed her leg. She hovered over Weiss' face and saw her eyes were open. "Weiss, I know it hurts, but you gotta calm down. Everything's gonna be okay."

"Brrah!"

Weiss panted for breath and tried to focus solely on Yang, Ruby and Nora's worried gazes, but that didn't take away the excruciating pain. Her forehead beaded with sweat from the tortuous process. Each time Blake lowered the spoon onto her wounds, the throbbing increased tenfold and she let out more screams of agony.

Blake made sure to be thorough and worked through the tears that were beginning to form, repeatedly telling herself that this was to save Weiss' life. She hated causing her pain, but this was necessary, even though the faunus wished she wasn't the one doing it.

"Weiss," the faunus got in her line of sight. "This'll be over soon. I promise," she said with the first tears cascading down her cheeks.

Weiss was silent besides her harsh ragged breathing and soft whimpers, not knowing how to react. Now too exhausted to even shriek and unable to thrash around any longer, her bleary vision focused on Blake's face.

She concentrated more on the faunus in an attempt to escape the agony.

 _She looks so sad… Why's she sad?_

Before Weiss could try to think about that, Blake's head turned into two blurry images.

 _Am I hallucinating?_ Weiss thought. _But... this is familiar..._

The vision turned into a scene from her past.

Two silhouettes of people with cat ears reached out their hands to help a crying younger Weiss.

 _Her parents,_ Weiss realized. _They had to be the ones who tried to save me._

Her vision shifted back to reality as she stared at Blake, who was too focused on the task at hand to notice.

 _Now I know..._

The pain was too much for her body to handle and she succumbed to darkness.

* * *

 **And the plot escalates! There are now just enough easter eggs to guess what happened in the past, but you'll find out very soon anyways.**

 **Sorry I didn't give a direct warning before that *ahem* process happened. There were hints here and there that this wouldn't be a happy-go-lucky story all the time.**

 **Things are just getting started and that had to happen for reasons that will be revealed later. Also, (possible spoiler) it's a total coincidence that a gorilla attacked them when there was a new gorilla grimm introduced.**

 **Stay dandy,**

 **~Toto**

 **P.S. OCTOBER 22ND! If you don't know what that means you must live under a rock.**


	10. Stubborn As a Mule

**What up! Before this starts I wanted to shamelessly promote my new story: Let Me Hear. It's not your typical vampire fic, so give it a read! ;D Now let's get down to business for this fic, shall we?**

* * *

"Find them! And when you do, show them no mercy. They'll pay for what they've done."

The people narrowed their eyes and said in unison. "Yes sir."

"Fan out!" he commanded. "No Schnee will get away."

The mob took off and scattered in search for their targets in the vast mansion.

Behind a door and under a layer of coats was a little Weiss Schnee. Her face was drenched in tears, and she was confused as to what was happening. All she knew was that her parents told her to be quiet and left her there all alone.

She was trembling and kept chiding herself to stop, to wait until her parents would come to pick her up when it was safe. She didn't understand anything, but the look of horror on her parents' faces before they hid her in the closet told her something was terribly wrong.

So she did the best she could to be quiet. Seeing her parents like that struck her heart with pure fear. Whatever was happening, it couldn't be good. That much was certain.

While sniffling, she buried herself further underneath the coats that acted as her shield.

Suddenly, the closet door had creaked open.

Her safe haven was breached.

Her body reacted on instinct, which instantly froze in fear.

A female saw a strand of white-hair protruding under the layer of coats. "She's in here," she said calmly to her partner.

Little Weiss was confused. The voice said that in a calm whisper rather than alert the others. That was a good sign, so she slowly peaked over to see two silhouettes in front of the door.

"Hi," the female's soothing voice called. "Please be quiet."

"W-w-why? W-who are you?" Weiss asked, making sure to keep her voice barely audible.

If the mob found her, she'd be done for.

Another deep voice answered. "We're here to help," he held out his hand. "Hurry. They're coming."

Little Weiss sniffled and was intrigued to see the male and female adorned cat ears. Their gazes also wore expressions of concern. Rather than ripping her out of the hiding spot, their body language seemed gentle, innocent even.

Little Weiss examined the patient hand. "W-what about mommy and daddy?"

The female gently lifted the coats off the frightened girl. "They'll be relieved you're okay."

Weiss sniffled once more. At last, she got a glimpse of the two people trying to help. Both cat faunus adorned jet-black hair. As the female knelt down, she noticed that the older woman had bright blue eyes, similar to her family's own.

Seeing her parents soon was a comforting thought. "O-okay," she hesitantly reached out and grabbed the man's hand, glad it was soft and kind, similar to her father's.

The two faunus smiled, intent to lead the little Schnee outside and away from harm. Far away from the people out for blood. They took each of her tiny hands and silently coaxed her out of the closet.

The male and female cat faunus walked behind the frightened girl, making sure to shield her from the attackers.

They scurried towards the front door as fast as their legs could carry them.

The nice female cat faunus squeezed Weiss' hand. "Almost there."

Little Weiss silently nodded as the three neared the exit.

Suddenly, the sound of a gun rang out. Before anyone could even think, blood splattered on the floor and on Weiss. She looked up and saw the two faunus' eyes widened in shock, with their hands firmly pressed against their bleeding wounds.

"A-are you okay?!" Weiss frantically asked the couple.

The male and female cat faunus knelt to the ground in pain, spitting out blood.

"Gah," the male spat more blood and looked to his partner. "Kira, are you alright?"

Kira gazed yearningly in his amber eyes. "I... love you…"

The female cat faunus collapsed to the ground.

Lifeless.

Weiss shrieked in horror as she slowly backed away from the pair, now traumatized.

The male faunus' amber eyes widened from the loss of his wife. While pressing against his wounds, he slowly turned his head to find the murderer, who was in the distance.

"Get away from my little girl!" the man cocked his gun again.

The male faunus shakily reached out to the man, pleading. "Please don't-"

Another pang reverberated in the air. The faunus had been shot right in between the eyes, instantly dropping dead on the cold marble floor. Silence filled the air until the haunting loud thump reached their ears.

"Daddy!" Little Weiss cried out. "They-they were nice! W-why'd you do that?!"

Mr. Schnee shoved the pistol in his holster and ran over to pick up his daughter. "We have to get out of here."

Her father was terrified of the events as he frantically leaped out of the mansion and to the outside before any attackers could pursue the remaining bloodline.

Weiss barely caught him utter. "They're not going to take you, too…"

"Wh-why do they wanna take us, daddy?" Little Weiss rasped. "I don't get it…" she began crying in his arms.

Mr. Schnee soothed his fingers through her white-hair that was now dyed crimson. Thankfully, it wasn't his daughter's own blood.

"Don't worry. I promise I'll protect you, no matter what. We'll go to a place far, far away…"

* * *

The sun was now setting for another day to end. After the tortuous events, everyone was left exhausted.

Yang held the hand on Weiss' good right arm as she watched her sleep. "It's over now… you can sleep peacefully. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Ruby dabbed Weiss' forehead that beaded with sweat. "Will she be okay?"

"Hopefully," the faunus stated. "The worst is over."

Blake wanted to provide as much comfort to her friends as possible. Seeing Ruby's faint smile afterwards was worth it, but she knew that Weiss would be in immense pain for a while, at least until they figured out how to dull it.

They made sure to keep the fire roaring with life in the night. After cauterizing Weiss' wounds, the girls moved her in the fort, patiently waiting for her to come to.

Ruby nibbled on the cooked fish. "Thanks for doing that, Blake. It couldn't have been easy."

Blake remembered the haunting screams during the process and twitched her cat ears at the memory. "I didn't want you to do it."

Amber and silver eyes met tiredly, but the two were comforted by each other's presence.

The faunus noticed Yang hadn't eaten and held out a fish to her. "You need to eat."

Yang's eyes never left Weiss. "I'm not hungry."

Biting her bottom lip, Blake thought of what Yang needed to hear. "Eat," she shoved the fish in her face. "You need the energy to help Weiss as much as possible."

Sensing her friend spoke the truth; Yang grabbed the fish and took a bite. "Thanks…" she muttered.

After Yang swallowed a bite, a groan filled the air.

"Nngh…"

The blonde dropped the fish on the sand without thought and hovered over Weiss. "Weiss? Weiss, are you feelin' better?"

Before Weiss even opened her eyes, her lips slightly parted and mumbled. "Blake…"

Yang's eyes widened when her brain registered what she had said. She felt like a knife stabbed her heart when the girl called out for Blake instead of Yang. She was heartbroken, and it was in that moment she realized how much she loved the girl.

Everything up until this point made sense. Why she cared so much, why her stomach twisted in a knot at the mere thought of Weiss being in pain. Her feelings had been strong since the night Yang took care of Weiss when she had a fever, but to this degree…

She was madly in love and was willing to do anything for the girl.

 _Why? Why does she want to see Blake?_ Yang thought as tears threatened to spill over. _She… she doesn't want to see me?_

Now more awake, Weiss called again. "Blake…"

"I'm here," the faunus was there in a flash. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," she rasped as tears flowed from the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Blake was confused. "For what?"

Weiss took a deep breath. "I finally know why you look so familiar…"

"I do?" Blake pointed to herself.

Yang and Ruby were now fully paying attention from the comment, remembering what Weiss had told them several days before.

"Your… your parents," Weiss' clouded over eyes gazed at Blake's cat ears. "They died trying to save me."

"W-what are you talking about?" Blake was caught off guard. "I don't understand."

Weiss briefly smiled in an attempt to comfort the faunus as tears stained her cheeks. "It's only fair I die…"

Yang squeezed Weiss' limp hand tightly from the statement, droplets hitting the sand. "Don't say that!"

"It's fair…"

With a withered breath, her eyes fluttered shut as the realm of darkness pulled her in once more.

"Weiss?!" Blake yelped.

Yang's eyes widened and her heart constricted, thinking the worst. "D-did she..."

Ruby gently put her finger under the girl's nose to feel for breathing. "She passed out but she's still breathing."

They sighed with relief.

"What the hell was she talking about?" Blake asked the sisters.

Yang answered. "She told us you looked familiar, but didn't know why."

"She must've remembered," Ruby said, visibly saddened. "Why would she say that?"

"I don't care what happened in the past," Blake said. "She doesn't deserve to die."

Ruby gulped. "We need to get out of here."

The situation slowly dawned on them. Blake knew the truth better than anybody.

"Come on, Ruby," Blake grabbed her hand. "Let's make the S.O.S. signal brighter. I'm getting sick of this place."

Ruby sensed the venom in her voice and nodded. The two left the fort with unease, leaving Yang and Nora to comfort the sleeping girl.

After throwing in more sticks, Ruby and Blake sat around the fire, silently thinking about the situation. It was now pitch black outside, save for the flames and bright moonlight.

Ruby's voice broke the silence. "Sh-she," her voice cracked. "She'll be fine, right? Right Blake?"

Blake's gaze was firmly on the fire, avoiding Ruby's pleading silver eyes. "She has to be."

"Blake," Ruby stated with caution. "Tell me the truth."

The faunus sighed and gazed in Ruby's silver orbs. "If Weiss doesn't get legitimate medical attention soon…"

Ruby started to sob, burying her face in her knees. "She can't die! She-she can't!"

Even though Ruby was always the optimistic one, sometimes she needed to be held and comforted, too.

Blake wasted no time and embraced the girl. "Hey," she whispered in her ear. "We're the best team around, remember?"

Ruby sniffled and nodded.

"We will _all_ get off this island alive," the faunus said. "I promised you that."

"Y-yeah, but Weiss-"

"Is in bad condition," Blake finished. "The worst is over, and she'll hopefully improve eventually. But she can't without our help. We need to be strong, Ruby."

"But she needs proper medical attention!" Ruby yelped, tears flowing down her cheeks. "You said it yourself…"

Blake stared in Ruby's silver eyes. "You're right, she does. I'll be honest, she's cutting it close to death here. And things might get worse, but you keep forgetting something."

Ruby sniffled once more. "What?"

"She's stubborn as hell," the faunus answered. "She won't go down without a fight."

Ruby finally returned the embrace. "You're right, I-I'm sorry. I'm just so scared… I can't lose someone again."

Blake soothed her fingers through Ruby's flowing hair. "I can't either, so we should hope for the best."

Slightly whimpering, Ruby hugged the girl tighter. "I wonder how Yang is doing."

"Badly," the faunus replied. "But we're here for her too."

"But Yang, she… she..."

Blake pulled back, her cat ears flat on her head. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

Ruby sniffled as she stared in Blake's amber eyes.

"She really loves her."

* * *

After inspecting Weiss' wounds for what seemed like the tenth time that night, Yang sighed in relief when they officially stopped bleeding. However, the injury looked much more irritated than it had before, which made her worried.

The stench of blood filled the air as Weiss' injured left arm was set on the crimson towel that was once pure white. The towel was so drenched that it leaked through, causing some of the surrounding sand to turn into a pool of blood.

Sadly, the blonde was used to the reeking stench after being around it all day. All she could do was re-wipe the sand, replacing it with other patches of more white sand.

"Brrah!"

Yang smiled at the sloth, who was wrapped around Weiss' good arm, refusing to leave her side.

The blonde was comforted as her fingers ran through Nora's fur. However, her gaze landed on Weiss.

Yang noticed she was profusely sweating over the course of a few hours, so she grabbed a leaf-cup full of freshwater.

 _Should I wake her? But… she's finally sleeping peacefully. She needs the rest, but she also needs water…_

Yang gulped, with a plan in mind, she carefully sipped the cool water and let it settle in her mouth.

With her hand firmly on the back of Weiss' head, she lifted her up and leaned down.

A blush formed on Yang's cheeks, but she persevered, repeatedly telling herself Weiss needed the water.

Yang's soft lips grazed Weiss' own to transfer the liquid. Once she heard her reflexively swallow, she gently set her head down on the sand-pillow she made for her.

Yang was blushing madly as she thought about what transpired. But she convinced herself it was the right thing to do, and wondered what else she could do for the girl.

After coming up blank, Yang figured speaking her thoughts would make the knot in her stomach go away.

"Why'd you go and do that?" she whispered. "You're like this cuz'a me…"

Bile was stuck in her throat as she reached for another piece of seaweed, taking great care and setting it on her forehead.

Yang grabbed the hand Nora was clinging to.

"I-I'm so sorry," her voice cracked with misery, her head lowered. "I'm sorry," tears fell to the sand, dampening it.

"It's not your fault," a familiar voice reached her ears.

Yang's head whipped up to the voice. "Weiss? How long have you been awake?"

"Not long," she answered. "You need to understand something."

Yang's eyes frantically searched her gaze. "What is it?"

Weiss made sure to take slow and steady breaths. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

Yang held her hand tightly. "But why? I'm the reason we're even in this mess. I'm the one that wrecked your ship in the first place!"

Seeing Yang cry tears sent a pang in Weiss' heart. "I'm over that. You three are actually the best friends I've ever had…"

"And what about your father?" Yang's voice trembled. "He… he might be dead. Once again, because of me…"

Weiss slowly blinked and savored the warmth around her arm, only to realize it was the sloth.

"I still don't know if he's alive or not, but you mustn't blame yourself," she rasped.

"But-"

Weiss slowly sat up, careful not to move the throbbing left arm so much as a centimeter.

Yang leaned forward frantically in case Weiss fell back down, something Weiss was grateful for.

However, Weiss succeeded the feat and glared at the blonde.

"Does it look like I'm in the mood to argue?"

Her breathing was slightly ragged and she still looked pale, but she was also pissed off beyond belief that Yang would even think to blame herself.

"No," the blonde lowered her head in shame.

Weiss was happy with the response. "Good," she slowly lifted up her good arm. "How long has she been clinging to me?" she asked, referring to the sloth.

Yang sniffled and wiped the tears away. "Pretty much all night."

Nora lifted her head with a smile present. "Brrah!"

"Along with you, huh?"

Yang smiled her first smile that night. "Yeah."

After kissing the top of the sloth's head, Weiss looked at Yang. "Thank you, Yang."

The blonde stared at Nora and then to Weiss' lips, thinking about what she did earlier. Yang's thoughts went back to when she transferred the water.

Even though Weiss was parched, her lips were so soft...

Yang blushed madly. "N-no problem, but you need to eat," she held out a fish.

Just the thought of food made Weiss nauseous. Her stomach was still twisted in a knot from the cauterization process. Couple that with the throbbing arm and excess heat, food was completely out of the question.

"No."

"You need the energy," the blonde insisted.

"Yang, if you make me eat that I promise I'll throw-up on you," Weiss deadpanned.

"Okay, okay," Yang surrendered. "But you're eating in the morning."

Weiss laid back down and said in a teasing tone. "Okay, mom..."

Yang made sure her wounds were stationary on the towel as she did so. "You goin' back to sleep?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Yes."

Just as she did, Ruby and Blake removed the door and entered the fort.

"Hey, how's she doing?" Blake whispered while Ruby shut the door.

Weiss shot her eyes open. "Not too well."

Blake was taken aback when it was Weiss who answered. "Hey."

Weiss gave a pitiful smile. "Hey."

Ruby was happy Weiss was awake and took a seat next to her sister. The three could tell she was exhausted just by listening to her voice, but she seemed willing to talk.

The faunus leaned over Weiss. "What were you talking about earlier?"

Blake's curiosity was peaked the last time Weiss and her talked. She knew Weiss needed the rest, but her parents had died when she was so young, and she never found out the cause. Any bit of information would be helpful. She knew it was wrong to press at a time like this, but she couldn't help herself.

"Huh?"

"You mentioned my parents," Blake recalled. "H-how do you know them?"

Tears started to flow down Weiss' cheeks from the memory. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault they're dead."

The faunus clung tightly to her hand. "What do you mean?"

"Your parents… were killed."

"Killed?" Blake rasped. "H-how? By who?"

Weiss took a deep breath. "My father."

Silence filled the air from revelation.

Weiss took the silence as permission to continue.

"Now you know it's fair I die… M-my father killed your parents, Blake. While they tried to save me…" she started to sob.

"Hey, hey," Blake comforted. "I don't know what happened, but I certainly know for a fact you don't deserve to die."

The day had taken a toll on Weiss as emotions stirred within her. She no longer had the energy to cry, and slowly shut her eyes.

Blake hovered over her. "Weiss? Weiss!" she frantically put her finger on her neck to check for a pulse.

"I-is she okay?!" Ruby frantically asked.

Blake felt more intently, it was slight, but a pulse was still present.

Blake heaved a sigh. "Yes."

"She's exhausted," Yang said. "Let her sleep."

"What'd she mean?" Ruby asked the two. "She couldn't have known it was Blake's parents, right?"

"Who knows…" Yang sighed.

"She'll have to tell me later," the faunus reasoned. "When she's in better condition to tell the story."

"Good plan," Ruby agreed.

Blake noticed that Weiss' arm looked worse than before. "How long has it been like this?"

Yang wiped her tears and she sniffled a bit. "Maybe about an hour by now."

"Is it an infection?!" Ruby fretted.

The faunus held out Weiss' arm to get a good view.

"More than likely. We'll have to keep an eye on it tonight."

The sisters nodded, silently agreeing with the statement.

Over the course of a few hours, the three girls remained awake to take care of their friend. Sleep was a difficult prize to achieve in a stressful time like this, and before they knew it, the sun was rising for another day…

* * *

 **Definitely not all shits and giggles right now. Hope you liked it, and if you get bored waiting for the next chapter, maybe Let Me Hear will keep you entertained since it's posted weekly.**

 **Stay dandy,**

 **~Toto**


	11. Are You Guys Crazy?

Dawn was arriving with the sun over the horizon. Ruby had snuck out of the fort earlier, convincing herself that it was light enough to see.

She went solo on her secret mission, knowing her friends needed the rest. After having a few close calls with Weiss almost dying, Ruby couldn't sleep a wink, so she made use of her time while Blake and Yang stayed in the fort in an uneasy slumber.

Ruby hefted the makeshift vine-bag over her shoulders and gratefully pat the prize before removing the door. As she stepped inside, she smiled at the cute sight of Yang and Blake holding Weiss' right hand while they slept. Nora the sloth was clinging tightly to Yang's waist, careful not to graze Weiss' wounds.

As Ruby closed the door, she noticed Blake's cat ears flicked at the noise. Not a moment later, the faunus sat up and stretched to greet her.

"Hey, Ruby," she said in a whisper, careful not to wake the others. "Where'd you go?"

Ruby beamed a smile and set the large bag on the sand. "I got us food," she opened the top of the bag.

The faunus peered over the bag and was surprised to see various fish of all shapes and sizes. Ruby then set a smaller bag down that was around her wrist, causing dozens of berries to fall out.

"How long did it take you to get all this?"

Ruby sat down next to Blake. "A few hours. I couldn't sleep, so-"

Blake noticed Ruby's eyes screamed exhaustion. "Ruby," she cut her off. "While I'm happy you got us food, please don't do that again. Not alone. Tell me next time, okay?"

The brunette gulped, knowing that being in the jungle alone was dangerous. Even being in a group was dangerous. The animals had made themselves known in the worst ways.

Ruby gazed at the sleeping Weiss and Yang, knowing that the dangerous jungle was responsible for their situation and injuries. She didn't want the faunus to be worried, but also understood where she was coming from.

"Got it," Ruby replied. "Sorry, Blake. I didn't mean to make you worried."

Everyone was on edge when they realized just how dangerous the island they were stranded on actually was. Ruby was touched Blake cared for her so much, and returned the feelings wholeheartedly. She just wished she had the courage to tell Blake how she really felt about her.

The faunus smiled at the answer. "Just don't go alone again. Sorry If I sound overprotective, but you can't be too sure…" her eyes lingered to Weiss.

"How is she?" Ruby asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"She has an infection and still looks pale," Blake answered truthfully. "There might be herbs on this island to treat it, but I don't know if they would be on this island in particular. We should search for them soon."

"Will she die without the herbs?" Ruby asked.

Blake's eyes started to water. "More than likely…"

Ruby gasped and scanned Weiss' injured left forearm. "No…"

Blake put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, chances are we'll find something. We'll search for the herbs soon, okay?"

Ruby sniffled. "O-okay…" she placed her hand in Blake's. "She'll be okay…"

Blake sent her a comforting smile. "Right, but before we do, we should eat. We'll need the energy to look for the medicine."

"Do you want some berries?" Ruby asked. "I made sure these were the right ones to pick."

"Sure," the faunus picked up the purple orb from the sand and brushed it off on her disheveled black dress.

Blake trusted Ruby's judgement without thought and didn't check if they were the right kind. Ruby was correct in judgement and Blake couldn't help but smile from the burst of flavor.

That never got old.

Ruby popped one in her mouth. "We are definitely bringing some of these back."

"No doubt," the faunus chewed on another. "We'll get out of here sooner or later."

Ruby's gaze trailed to Weiss. "Did she wake up at all last night?"

"No," Blake shook her head. "I would've known, too. Yang and I checked every few minutes to see if she was still breathing."

Ruby was depressed. "That's so messed up."

"I know," the faunus sighed.

"This whole thing is messed up," Ruby said. "I didn't think it was possible for a person to go through that much pain…"

"It's over now," the faunus replied. "Try not to think about it."

"I like the idea, but that's impossible…" Ruby muttered.

Blake put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but know that you really helped out. If you didn't, the process would've been much longer and more painful."

"I know…"

They sat in relative silence until Blake noticed how unkempt Ruby's hair was. Strands of dark hair stuck out of her ponytail, while her bangs invaded her eyes. The faunus gathered she could at least lighten Ruby up about something.

"Hey, Ruby."

"Yeah?"

"W-want me to do your hair?" Blake stammered. "It could use some help."

Ruby pouted. "Aw, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't look bad," the faunus assured. "But it could use improvement," she held out her hand. "Come on."

While pouting, Ruby took out her disheveled ponytail and handed the vine hair tie to Blake.

"Turn around," Blake said.

The brunette slightly smiled. "Okay."

Ruby obeyed and turned around to sit on the sand, patiently waiting for Blake to start the process. The faunus soothed her fingers through Ruby's tangled hair. Not surprisingly, it was much longer, now able to be a braid. After combing her nails and making the hair as smooth as possible, she grabbed all her hair at an angle.

Ruby sat there and enjoyed the contact with a goofy grin. Even though Blake had very sharp nails, Ruby could tell she took great care to not hurt her. She already felt refreshed as the faunus took all her hair in one swoop.

Suddenly, Ruby was starting to get nervous. She'd never had longer hair before, and Blake was the first person to play with it. As if her feelings for her weren't enough, she now felt an odd, but different connection with the girl. As the faunus twisted the sections, Ruby savored the contact, wishing it wouldn't end.

"There," the faunus said. "It looks good."

Ruby was sad Blake had broke the contact, but lifted up the new side-braid. "Wow, Blake! This looks amazing!"

The brunette's hair now looked positively well-kept and soothed out. Not many tangles were present in the mini braid.

Ruby turned around to face Blake, who attempted to hide a saddened expression. Ruby knew that Blake was trying to be strong for her, but sometimes others needed to be strong for her, too.

Ruby went in for an embrace. "Don't be sad. You look so much prettier with a smile on your face. N-not that you aren't pretty without a smile. You're always pretty!"

The faunus blushed and returned the gesture. "Th-thanks."

"We'll get off this island," Ruby gently whispered in her ear. "With everyone. I promise."

Silver and amber orbs met. They were both close to each other's faces, with their gazes soon lingering on the other pair of lips, each pleading for more warmth and comfort. Ruby and Blake leaned in slowly, their lips almost grazing…

"What's with all the racket?" Yang asked before she yawned. "Oh, it's you two. Get a room."

Ruby and Blake frantically jumped apart.

"W-w-what're you talking about?" Ruby played dumb. "We didn't do anything!"

"Y-yeah!" Blake chimed. "Besides, that's impossible since this is the only room on the island!"

"Brrah!"

"Oh look," the blonde said knowingly. "Your yelling woke up Nora, too," she saw her sister's new hairstyle. "I like it! Did you do that yourself?"

"Nope," Ruby replied. "B-Blake did…"

Yang gave a thumbs up. "Couldn't have done it better myself, kitten."

The faunus shyly looked away. "Thanks."

Another voice entered the conversation. "Quiet..."

The three shut their mouths when they realized the barely audile voice was Weiss.

Yang hovered over her as she held her hand. "Are you feelin' better?"

Ruby and Blake joined Yang to sit next to Weiss.

Weiss sighed, that alone caused her arm to throb and she choked on a gasp. "No..."

Yang tightened her grip. "You'll get better soon. I promise."

Weiss faintly grasped her hand back in an effort to comfort her. "You're right."

Blake noticed the sheen layer of sweat that refused to leave her forehead, so she grabbed a piece of seaweed and dabbed it on the area.

Guilt struck her heart when only the faunus' face was in view. "Blake," Weiss started. "About your parents… I'm sorr-"

"It's okay," Blake interjected. "You can tell me everything when you're better, alright?"

The white-haired girl took a deep breath. "Okay."

Blake nodded and turned to Ruby. "Come on, we have to look for those herbs."

"Herbs?" Yang asked.

"Yes," the faunus answered. "There might be some medicinal plants somewhere on this island," she tied a vine-pouch around her back. "We'll be back."

Weiss stared at the faunus. "You don't have to-"

Ruby cut her off. "We want to relieve your pain, Weiss. Let us do this."

Weiss remained silent, and Ruby took that as permission to leave. "Let's go, Blake. And Yang."

"Yeah?"

"There's plenty of food," her sister said. "You and Weiss should eat some."

Yang nodded and grabbed the two bags full of berries and fish. "You got it, sis."

Blake removed the door as the two exited and went on their mission for the medicine.

"We got fish and berries," Yang said to Weiss. "What are you up for?"

"Nothing."

"Come on," the blonde urged. "Last night you said you'd at least try to eat something."

 _That's true,_ Weiss thought. _But I've been nauseous since then._

"I don't think anything will stay down," Weiss admitted. "I've been nauseous since, since…"

Yang knew she was referring to the day they had to cauterize her. "I get it, but it's been a while. Try a berry. For me?"

There was no way she could say 'no' to that, especially with the tone Yang used.

"Fine," Weiss reluctantly agreed.

That cheered Yang up as she picked a berry from the pouch, as she did so, Weiss slowly sat up. The blonde noticed her efforts and gently coaxed her in a sitting position.

Weiss sent her a thankful smile.

"Brrah!"

"Oh, I forgot you were there," Weiss said as she stared at the sloth that clung to her arm. "I'm so used to the warmth."

"She really loves you," Yang chirped as she handed her a berry. "It's so cute."

"Brrah!"

Weiss grit her teeth as she stared at the berry. The mere thought of food made her nauseous, but she was doing this for Yang. She reluctantly nibbled on the fruit to test the waters.

"You doing okay?"

"So far," Weiss replied as she put the whole berry in her mouth.

Yang was relieved to see her eat at least something. "I'm glad."

Just she thought the food would settle, Weiss' thoughts went back to what happened the day before. She could still hear the hissing of her own skin, her friends holding her down and even getting hurt in the process. But worst of all, the agony that was still present in her left forearm hurt even more at the mere thought.

It was enough to make her stomach more upset. "No..."

"'No' what?" Yang asked, now afraid since Weiss looked paler.

"I can't eat anything," Weiss choked out. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey," Yang put a comforting hand on her back. "You don't have to, I'm the one who's sorry. I just wanted you to get some nutrients but that can wait until the feeling passes, yeah?"

Weiss leaned into her palm as Yang guided her back down to rest on the smooth sand.

 _Damn it!_ Yang thought as she clenched her jaw. _She can't improve without food and energy,_ she pounded her fist in the sand. _Is she getting worse?_

"What's wrong, Yang?" Weiss managed to murmur in a soft voice.

Yang whipped her head up to Weiss. "Nothing."

"It's not nothing," the white-haired girl stated a bit more strongly. "Tell me-"

Yang was thankful when the door was removed from the shelter, allowing beams of light to flow in.

Ruby ran inside with delight. "Guys! We found some herbs!" she held out the plants.

"Will they work?" Yang asked.

Blake shut the door. "Hopefully. There's different kinds but hopefully one of them will do the trick."

Ruby laid the plants on the makeshift table in the corner. Yang, Blake, and Ruby eyed the specimens, not really sure which was the right one.

Ruby could tell Blake was conflicted. "What's wrong, Blake?"

The faunus shook her head and picked up one of the herbs. "This one."

"What about it?" Yang asked.

Blake held her chin in thought. "This plant."

"What?" Ruby asked worriedly. "What's wrong with it?"

Blake set it on the table. "If I'm correct, this is called the Schipizoa plant. If we grind it up, it can heal burns, cuts and stop infections."

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Yang yelped.

The faunus took a deep breath. "The problem is that it has a striking resemblance to a poisonous plant called the Skidbladnir."

Blake remembered back when she studied plants in her free time. She didn't think that she would ever need to know much about poisonous plants, and now she cursed herself for just skimming the pages.

"P-poisonous?" Ruby asked. "What?"

Yang clenched her jaw. "Then throw it away. We aren't chancing it."

"Yes we are," Weiss chimed.

The three looked at her expectantly, Yang's eyes disbelieving. "How could you say that?! This is your life we're talking about!"

"Which is exactly why we're doing it," the white-haired girl argued. "No pain can be worse than what I've already been through…"

 _If I die, I can repay my debt to Blake. If I live, I'll have to explain the story properly,_ Weiss frowned at the thought of Blake being heartbroken. _I'm despicable._

Ruby looked back to her sister and Blake. "So if this is the Skipizooa thingy, she'll heal, right?"

"Schipizoa," Blake corrected. "And yes, the wounds will heal and the infection will be eradicated."

"Are you guys crazy?!" Yang yelled. "If this is that poisonous plant, she'll die!"

"Does it matter?" she heard Weiss feebly mumble.

Tears were freely flowing down Yang's cheeks as she leaned over Weiss. "Don't say that! Your life matters whether you like it or not!"

A few of Yang's tears fell on Weiss' cheeks as lilac searched azure.

 _How the hell can she say that?!_ Yang screamed internally. _Does she not realize how much she means to us?! S-she can't die! I won't let her!_

"Yang," Weiss somehow found the strength to press her hand gently against her cheek. "It's okay. Trust my decision, please?"

The blonde was speechless. She knew Weiss blamed herself for Blake's parents' deaths, but seeing it to this degree hit a pang in her heart.

"Dammit!" Yang pounded her fist to the ground. "Why're you doing this?!"

"Yang," Weiss said, tears tugging the corners of her eyes. "If we do nothing, then I'm going to die. If we try it and it's the wrong plant, I still die. But if it's the right one, then I'll be alright. There's really no other choice."

They all knew the reality of the situation with the infection spreading. And there wasn't much time.

Not knowing what to say, Yang ran outside with tears streaming down her cheeks, cursing the odds and the entire situation.

Ruby was about to give chase, but Blake stopped her. "Stay here, Ruby," she said and bolted off.

Ruby comforted Weiss and the frazzled sloth, trusting the faunus to take care of the situation.

Once outside, Blake darted after the blonde. "Yang, slow dow-"

Yang whipped around. "No! How can you agree to this?!

 _Did this island turn them into monsters?!_ Yang thought. _This can't be happening!_

"It's not like we have a choice!" Blake countered. "At least this way, she has a chance!"

"Isn't there some other plant you can use!?"

 _There's gotta be!_

"This is the most potent one out there," the faunus reasoned. "She has a serious infection and if it spreads through her body, it _will_ kill her. This plant will prevent that from happening."

"You don't know for sure if it will!"

"But if we do nothing," Blake glared into Yang's lilac orbs. "Her fate is sealed."

 _T-there really is no other way…! No, she can't die!_

"Dammit!" the blonde cursed. "I-I can't lose her! I-I-"

 _She means the world to me! If we hadn't snuck on that ship and stolen Never More, I would've never met her! Now I can't imagine life without her!_

Blake tilted her head. "What?"

"I love Weiss!"

Blake wasn't surprised from the confession. "Then you should be willing to do anything to save her!"

Yang's knees buckled and she fell to the sand. She started sobbing and choking back gasps. Blake immediately went down and wrapped her in an embrace.

"Hey, there's still a chance," the faunus whispered over her sobs. "Will you please help me make the medicine that will save her life?"

 _S-she's right… there's at least a chance this way..._

After Yang composed herself, she nodded, knowing there was no alternative.

Blake offered a small smile and guided her back on her feet. "We can do this. For Weiss."

Now Yang was determined. "For Weiss."

* * *

The infection was spreading throughout Weiss' arm, causing her to be in more pain. Even though Ruby and her were inside the shelter and away from the taxing heat, it was still hot. Too hot for comfort, and that made her wounds feel worse.

Weiss didn't want to show if she was in any pain if she could help it. That would only make them worry more, so she tried to cover it up by squeezing the sloth.

"Brrah!" Nora squealed, surprised at the rough contact.

"Sorry," Weiss murmured and forced herself to loosen her grasp.

Ruby bit her bottom lip when she noticed more sweat beaded on the girl's forehead. She grabbed a piece of seaweed and set it on the area.

"Better?"

"Yes," Weiss sighed as the coolness battled the heat.

Weiss was resting on the sand when she and Ruby had heard when Yang yell the confession, rendering them speechless.

"D-did she just say what I think she said?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," Ruby confirmed. "She did."

 _So she does feel the same way._

"What kind of a brute shouts things like that?" Weiss asked, her voice barely audible.

Ruby leaned down to confirm her thoughts. "Are you pouting?"

It was slight, but Weiss had puffed her cheeks a bit. "She could've at least done that more romantically," she mumbled.

"Oh my god you _so_ are!"

"Don't give me that," Weiss scoffed. "You and Blake need help."

"What're you talking about?" Ruby feigned innocence. "Blake and I don't-

"Don't play dumb. You and Blake can't take your eyes off each other."

Although Weiss' temperature was going down, there was still heat lingering in the wounds. Couple that with the constant pounding like drums and acting like nothing was wrong, she was left tired emotionally and physically.

 _My arm is killing me!_

Ruby tilted her head while looking down at the girl. "D-do you think she likes me?"

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes. "Are… are you _that_ much of a dunce?"

"Ehehe," Ruby chuckled. "Was it that obvious?"

Weiss grit her teeth. "Painfully so."

"You didn't answer my question."

"What?" Weiss asked feebly.

Ruby blushed. "Do you think Blake likes me?"

"Yes, dolt. Have more confidence," Weiss advised. "Stop thinking you don't deserve her."

"Maybe you're right," the brunette admitted.

"Of course I am."

"Brrah!"

"See?" Weiss said. "Nora agrees, so stop being so scared of rejection and up your game."

"Like you're one to talk!" Ruby countered. "You heard Yang's confession, when are _you_ going to do something about it?"

"Probably when I'm not dying," Weiss tried to joke.

Ruby frowned. "Not funny."

The brunette noticed tears started to flow down Weiss' cheeks and that her body trembled in an attempt to stifle her sobs.

"H-hey are you okay?"

Weiss refused to speak, fearing that would cause the throbbing to intensify.

"It's your arm, isn't it?!" Ruby carefully examined it.

The infection had spread throughout her entire arm, and would continue throughout her body if she isn't treated soon. Ruby noticed the wounds were more red and irritated, and the skin that had been cauterized looked like it was beginning to flake and peel.

"We got the medicine!" Yang ran in with a bowl that was made of tree bark.

Bake followed soon after and shut the door.

"Hurry!" Ruby yelped. "It's getting worse!"

"Okay, okay," Yang sat down next to Weiss, and Blake soothed her fingers over the green paste that was in the makeshift bowl.

"This'll hurt," Blake warned.

"H-hurry," Weiss pleaded, desperation tinged her voice.

The faunus gulped and reluctantly hovered her finger over the infected wound. This would either kill or save Weiss, and Blake told herself that no matter the outcome, it would be her own responsibility.

Yang noticed the hesitation. "We can do this. Everything will be alright."

That was all the assurance Blake needed, so she applied the paste starting from the top of her arm, causing it to squish as it made its way into the wound. This made Weiss jolt from the contact.

Yang knew that Blake would have a hard time continuing like last time, so she firmly held Weiss' shoulders down to keep her from twitching, murmuring apologies under her breath.

The paste was soothed down the left forearm. Blake made sure to be as gentle as possible and used every ounce of the paste. As she did so, Weiss was left gasping for breath, helpless from the agony.

Yang noticed Weiss was much weaker than the last time she was forced to hold her down. Being injured for so long had taken a toll, and the blonde was starting to wonder if it was the right herb.

"Stop!" Yang howled when Weiss suddenly went still.

Blake continued to sooth the paste on wound. "We can't do this halfway. It's all or none."

Yang lowered her head in defeat as she watched Weiss' eyes roll in the back of her head.

"No, no, no! Hey, stay with me!" Yang gently caressed Weiss' cheek.

Blake had finished the process and lowered her cat ear on Weiss' chest to listen for her heartbeat. It was slight and wavering, if the faunus hadn't concentrated she would've missed it.

"She's okay for now," Blake stated. "If it's the right herb she'll wake up soon, if not…"

"It's the right one," Ruby said sternly. "It has to be."

"You're right," the faunus agreed. "She'll be okay."

Tears were streaming down Yang's face as she gazed at Weiss. "You have to be…"

* * *

 **I know it's strange for Weiss to make a joke when she's near death, but hey, the canon did it when her aura was completely depleted.**

 **Code Lyoko fans gather 'round. The Skidbladnir and Schipizoa have made an appearance!**


	12. Brrah!

Several hours had passed since the herb was slathered over Weiss' wounds. It was now dark outside, save for the flames and moonlight.

They were around the S.O.S signal to make use of the lighting. Blake was able to see in the pitch-black, but the sisters couldn't see in the darkness if they were in the fort. Which is why the group was outside on the clear night. They were also thankful that no signs of storms were brewing, allowing the night to be easier on them.

Yang dabbed Weiss' forehead with a piece of seaweed. "She's not sweating as much anymore. That's a good sign, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yes, and the color is coming back to her face, so-"

"It was the right herb?!" Ruby chirped.

"It had to have been," Blake said. "If it was the wrong one she would've died by now."

Yang gently grasped Weiss' limp hand. "Thank god…"

"Brrah!"

Ruby rubbed the sloth's head when she noticed her worried eyes never left the motionless girl. "She's okay, Nora. She'll wake up soon."

Blake's ears flicked. "How long has it been since she's had water?"

"Too long," Yang answered.

The blonde couldn't help but remember how she gave Weiss water last time. She technically kissed the girl, but it was for a good cause.

At least that's what she told herself.

"We should give her water then," Blake suggested.

"And food…" Yang mumbled.

Ruby tilted her head. "Hasn't she been nauseous?"

"Yeah," Yang answered. "But she only had one berry yesterday."

"Nauseous or not," Blake started. "She's eating when she wakes up, even if we have to shove something down her throat."

Ruby and Yang nodded in agreement.

Blake looked at the leaf-cups. "As for the water…"

Ruby grabbed a leaf-cup. "I'll do it," she propped Weiss up in her arms and tilted the cup to her lips.

Yang blushed, thinking about how she did mouth-to-mouth last time.

Ruby's attempt failed when Weiss' head lolled against her shoulder, causing her to miss the parched lips.

"Brrah!" the sloth around Ruby's neck worriedly squealed.

Ruby pet the sloth. "It's okay, Nora," she turned to her sister. "Yang."

Yang was too busy remembering what she did the last time Weiss needed water…

"Yang!"

"H-huh?"

Ruby held out the leaf-cup. "I think you should do the honors."

"Y-you mean like…"

Ruby and Blake nodded, confirming her thoughts.

Now with permission, Yang reached out and grabbed the leaf-cup. She scooted over next to Ruby as she gently coaxed Weiss in her own arms.

Ruby and Blake watched expectantly.

Yang sipped on the water and let it settle in her mouth. As she leaned down, she lifted Weiss' head. The blonde was careful as their lips met, making sure all the water was transferred.

Once she heard Weiss reflexively swallow, Yang attempted to pull away. However, she was surprised when the other pair of lips began kissing back with vigor.

Lilac eyes widened, but Yang wasn't about to complain. She leaned in more and kept her hand wrapped around the girl's head and pulled her closer, savoring the soft and passionate contact.

Ruby and Blake sat to the side, blushing madly.

The two broke apart, with lilac and azure orbs gazing lovingly into each other.

"W-what?" was all Yang could sputter.

 _D-does she like me too?_ Yang thought.

Weiss smirked. "I was awake the first time you did that too, brute."

 _No way!_ Yang gawked. _No! She must hate me for taking advantage of her..._

"O-oh, I'm sorry," the blonde apologized genuinely. "I-I just wanted you to get more water in your system, so-"

She was cut off when Weiss kissed her on the lips again. When she pulled away, Yang gazed down at her, disbelieving.

"I-It's alright," Weiss stammered. "As long as it's you…"

Yang was speechless and couldn't stop staring at the girl in her arms, thinking she was cute when she was flustered. "No way…"

 _S-she DOES like me?_

"Honestly," Weiss huffed. "What kind of a confession was that?"

 _She heard me yell it to Blake yesterday? I'm such an idiot…! Or a brute as she puts it._

"Oh…" Yang mumbled. "You heard that?"

Ruby chimed in. "Who didn't?"

Yang lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. That was a pretty crappy way to find out I like you."

"It doesn't matter now," Weiss said. "I-I like you too."

Ruby and Blake broke into wide grins.

Yang's heart fluttered. "A-awesome."

"'Awesome?'" Weiss quoted. "That's what you say when someone confesses to you?"

"W-well this is a lot to take in," Yang admitted. "But I'm glad the feeling is mutual," she smiled.

"Hey, Weiss," Blake interjected. "How's the arm?"

Weiss didn't move it, out of fear she'd feel immense pain. At the moment, the throbbing had dulled and the medicine had cooled it off from feeling like it was on fire. It was in much better condition than a few hours ago, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Much better," Weiss confirmed. "Sorry, I'd rather not move it."

"Completely understandable," the faunus assured. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks for saving my life. All of you," Weiss said. "You did several times, I can't thank you enough."

Ruby giddily smiled. "You can thank us by getting better!"

"Which reminds me," Yang steadily propped Weiss up and had her lean against her side. Weiss' limp weight leaned completely on the blonde for support. "You are going to eat."

The feeling of nausea had been present since the night day they had to cauterize her wounds. It was an annoying, nagging feeling that refused to go away.

Weiss grimaced at the mere thought. "I don't think I can…"

The response was all Ruby needed to shove a berry in Weiss' mouth, earning a yank back and sputtering of the fruit.

"Wh-what was that for, you dolt?!" Weiss spit out more pieces of the berry. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"The exact opposite," Ruby informed as she picked up another berry. "Now open wide," her tone lowered. "Or I'll make you."

Weiss felt a bit threatened from the response, so she looked for support from the other two.

"Reprimand your sister, brute," Weiss looked to Yang.

"Sorry princess," Yang apologized. "You need to eat."

Weiss felt betrayed and stared at Blake, but the faunus simply shook her head and shyly looked away.

 _Three against one?_ Weiss thought.

"Come on," Ruby said soothingly and held out some berries. "Just a few more."

Weiss realized that they were doing this out of their concern for her well being and decided to obey.

While sighing, Weiss reluctantly agreed. "Fine…"

Ruby popped another berry in the girl's mouth, happy she didn't protest.

Weiss slowly chewed the fruit, not knowing if it would make her stomach upset.

"Try to focus on the flavor instead of how it feels," Yang advised. "Hopefully the nausea won't bother you as much."

Once she swallowed, Ruby handed her another fruit. "You doing okay?"

Surprisingly, the feeling settled in her stomach calmly. Now that she thought about it, she was actually _really_ hungry.

"Yes," Weiss nodded. "The feeling passed."

After eating dozens of berries, the group decided to go back in the shelter to be safe for the night. Before doing so, Ruby threw more sticks in the fire to keep it ignited as long as possible, hoping someone would see the signal.

Weiss attempted to stand to walk to the fort, but Yang wrapped her arms around her before she did so.

"W-what're you doing?" Weiss asked.

Yang heaved the girl in her arms bridal style and hugged her tightly, careful to avoid the injury. "I'm so glad you're okay…."

Weiss couldn't help but smile and wrapped her good arm around her to return the embrace. "Thanks to you."

Yang grinned and the group headed back in the shelter. Ruby and Blake instantly collapsed since the long day had been exhausting. They laid on the sand and stretched their arms, ready to get some much needed sleep.

"This'll be the best night of sleep ever!" Ruby beamed. "I'm exhausted."

Yang walked over and gently laid Weiss down. Once she was safely on the sand, Yang took a seat next to Blake and Weiss.

The blonde fell on the sand in a heap and breathed a sigh. "I'm beat."

"Aw," Weiss pouted. "I'm wide awake."

The three glared daggers.

"What? I rested all day."

Yang laid on her side as she gazed at Weiss, who was on her back to avoid hurting the injury. "Cuddle with Nora until you fall asleep."

"Not a bad idea," Weiss smiled.

"… And then me."

"F-fine," Weiss blushed.

She wasn't exactly used to physical contact, but things were different when it came to Yang.

Ruby heard the comment and unwrapped the sloth from her neck, carefully handing the animal to Weiss. "Here ya go!"

"Brrah!"

Weiss reached over with her good arm. The sloth slowly clung to it with a smile. "Brrah!"

"Yep!" Yang beamed. "She's getting better!"

"Brrah!"

Weiss slowly lifted her injured arm to pet the sloth, relieved that it wasn't throbbing, but rather a dull ache. "Sorry to make you worry, Nora."

"Brrah!"

"Make her shut up," Blake groaned. "Some of us want sleep."

Weiss stifled a laugh and kissed the top of the creature's head. "Be a good girl and be quiet," she said soothingly. "You can be as loud as you want tomorrow."

Nora stared at her with the usual grin. "Brrah."

"Good girl," Weiss whispered and put her uninjured arm over her stomach, where the sloth slept peacefully. Her injured left arm was firmly on top of fresh seaweed, avoiding anything that might hurt or dirty it.

Yang snickered at the pep talk and carefully wrapped a protective arm around Weiss' waist, cautious not to graze the injury or the sloth. "Goodnight, princess."

Weiss slowly shut her eyes and savored the comforting warmth. "Goodnight, brute."

Blake smiled at the sight and pulled Ruby in close, wrapping her arms around her torso. "Goodnight, Ruby…" her eyelids grew heavy as she nodded off.

Ruby was astonished that Blake initiated physical contact. She knew that the faunus and everyone had a particularly rough day with one of their own almost dying, so she was willing to provide solace for Blake, if only for a night. She wouldn't let this go to waste and wrapped her in the embrace, loving every second.

Ruby gazed yearningly at Blake's sleeping face. "Nighty night, Blake," she slowly closed her eyes.

After the ordeal, they slept peacefully that night with good conscience. They knew that the worst was over, but somewhat feared what the next day would bring...

* * *

The sun's rays beamed through the cracks in the vine-ceiling. The steady light carefully hit the sand, illuminating the shelter.

It was well into the day when Blake heard the ocean tides rocking on shore. Her cat ear twitched and eyes slowly opened. She felt a foreign feeling, the feeling of being refreshed after a good night's sleep.

She almost sat up, but something across her waist held her down. She glanced to the side and saw a sleeping Ruby, lightly breathing. Another noise lingered in her ears, only to make her annoyed. It was obviously Yang's snoring.

Blake blushed as she stared at Ruby for a little longer. Her heart was fluttering and she got butterflies in her stomach, unbelieving of the position they were in.

Reluctantly, she scooted closer to her face and imagined the puppy dog eyes that Ruby usually sported. The faunus was in cuteness overload and, unable to hold back, quickly pecked Ruby's small nose.

The action caused Ruby to slowly open her eyes. She wasn't awake to know what Blake did, but was glad the faunus was the first thing she saw that morning.

"Good morning, Blake," Ruby softly whispered, enjoying the fact that their faces were mere inches apart.

Blake smiled. "Morning, Ruby. Did you sleep well?"

The brunette covered her mouth and yawned. "Yes, I feel so much better. You?"

"Same," the faunus replied. "Can you make your sister shut up?"

Ruby giggled and sat up, only to realize her arm was around Blake's body. "O-oh, sorry."

Blake rolled her eyes. "You're fine. I-I liked it."

Ruby beamed a smile. "Good, because I did too," she laughed.

Ruby got up and nudged Yang, which didn't bother her since she continued snoring in her sleep. The faunus covered her ears when she knew what Ruby was about to do.

The brunette took a deep breath and stuck her finger in her mouth. She wished she had her actual whistle, but that was back home, so this would do for now. She blew with all her might, making a high-pitched 'FWEEEEE' sound.

"Ah!" Yang was snapped out of her stupor and shot up to see a giggling Ruby.

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed, caught off guard.

Yang frowned. "Rubes, what the hell?!"

"You're annoying when you sleep Yang," Ruby flicked some sand on her.

The blonde flicked some back. "Well excuuuuuse me for _trying_ to get some rest!"

Weiss' irritated voice chimed. "You scared Nora!"

"Brrah!"

"Oh god forbid we wake the sloth," Ruby said sarcastically.

Weiss sat up and pet Nora's head. "She didn't mean that," she brought the animal to her face and nuzzled the side of its head. "Nooooo."

The faunus flicked her ears. "How's the arm?"

Weiss carefully lifted the injured left arm. "Just a dull ache right now."

The wounds were now covered in a dry green paste from the medicine. Skin continued to peel off from the cauterization process, meaning it was on the way to recovery.

Blake smiled. "I'm glad."

"Brrah!"

"We should wrap it in seaweed," Ruby suggested. "So you don't move it often, at least until it's much better."

"Good idea, sis," Yang chirped.

"Anyone hungry?" Weiss asked the three. "I'm starving."

They broke into wide grins, happy that her appetite was back.

"We can eat fish and get the bandage while we're at it," Ruby suggested and stood. "Let's go!"

Blake got up and followed, not protesting. Yang groaned at the thought of getting up so soon, but stood anyways. She knew they had to get their day started sooner or later. She bent down and offered Weiss her hand.

Weiss smiled and happily took the hand that helped her stand. The blonde was careful not to disturb the animal that was wrapped around the girl's good arm.

Yang was happy to see Weiss firmly on her feet. "You feeling okay?" she asked, debating if she should help hold her up.

Weiss walked to the exit. "I'm feeling much better, Yang. Don't worry so much."

Yang sighed in relief. "Good, because if you weren't, I'd scoop you up in my arms in a heartbeat," she sent a wink.

Weiss blushed and mumbled. "Brute…" fondly in a term of endearment.

The two joined Ruby and Blake and sat next to them in front of the fire that was roaring with life. Ruby cooked the fish while Blake got some extra seaweed from the ocean, making sure saltwater was on it.

The faunus held up the seaweed and Weiss held out her injured arm, silently preparing herself.

"This will hurt," Blake warned. "But not as much as the other times."

"Let's get this over with," Weiss permitted.

Blake nodded and wrapped the pieces around the injury, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Yang watched the process out of concern. The contact made Weiss grimace a bit, but it was something she could handle. This time it was more of a slight stinging feeling, a far cry from what she had previously endured.

"Almost done," the faunus said as she wrapped another piece around the forearm.

Weiss nodded and looked to Yang, who was obviously worried. "I'm okay, Yang," she reassured.

"Right. Sorry, I don't like seeing you in pain," Yang admitted.

Blake tied the last seaweed that almost reached Weiss' shoulder. "Done."

The throbbing was officially gone and was replaced with a slight sting feeling, but that was now dulling. Weiss knew that she'd have to keep the seaweed on and wasn't about to complain since it felt much better than it had been in the last few days.

Weiss barely moved it to test the waters, and was glad the makeshift bandage was tight enough to prevent her from doing so. "Thank you, Blake."

The faunus smiled. "No problem."

When they were about to walk over to the fire, Blake remembered something. "About cauterizing you, I'm sor-"

"It's okay," Weiss cut her off. "You did what you had to do."

The two faintly grinned at each other briefly.

"Who wants food?!" Ruby chirped.

"Me," the three said in unison.

"Woah, hold your smelly horses," Ruby said and handed them sticks. "Dig in!"

The girls happily munched on the well-cooked meal, careful not to drop the fish in the sand.

"Brrah!"

"Oh, right," Weiss handed Nora some leaves that were next to the fire. "You should eat, too."

The sloth eagerly wrapped her tongue around the leaf and pulled it in her mouth, chewing it greedily.

After Ruby swallowed a bite, she asked. "What's the plan for today?"

"I'd rather not go in the jungle to be honest…" Weiss trailed off.

"Don't worry," Yang assured. "We won't for a while. At least until we desperately need baths."

Ruby pinched her nose in disgust. "Eeeeeewww."

"We just gonna laze around all day?" Yang asked.

"I don't see why not," Blake smirked after she took a bite of the fish. "We could use it."

"Alright!" Ruby beamed. "Who wants to… uh…"

"Swing on vines?" Blake suggested.

"Nah," Ruby waved off. "We need to include Weiss somehow!"

"Don't worry about me, dolt," Weiss said. "Go have fun if you want."

"OH!" Ruby had an epiphany. "We can build a sand castle!"

Blake held her chin in thought. "That shouldn't be too stressful on your arm."

"You guys are incorrigible," Weiss sighed. "Fine."

"Yes!" Yang pumped her fist in the air. "This'll be the best sand castle ever!"

"It's strange," Ruby said. "We've been stranded here all this time, and we never thought to do regular beach things."

"Surviving comes first," Blake ate more fish. "We didn't have time for that until now."

Before the four could get started on the castle, Blake's cat ear flicked when she heard a sound farther in the distance. It was different from any animal she had heard. After being on the island all this time she pretty much memorized the natural sounds of the jungle.

With her curiosity peaked, she honed in on that one, single noise and ignored her friends that were talking. It was a completely foreign sound to what the group had heard so far, and she thought she was imagining things when it seemed to be nearing their destination.

The sound waves reverberated in the air. It was like the sound of blades beating gravity into submission. That's when she had the epiphany.

"Guys!"

"What?!" the three asked in unison, surprised from Blake's outburst.

The faunus leapt to her feet as quickly as possible. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Yang asked.

"That sound! I think it's…" Blake suddenly gasped and was now certain of the origin of the sound. "I think it's a helicopter!"

"What?!" Ruby asked.

"A helicopter is nearby!" Blake exclaimed as she threw more sticks in the flames. "Hurry! Make the signal as bright as you can!"

The three went wide-eyed and wasted no time. They grabbed the wood and tossed in as many sticks as the flames would allow.

"It's getting closer!" Blake exclaimed.

Now the three could hear the sound properly since it was nearby.

"Oh my gosh!" Ruby jumped up and down giddily. "Does this mean we'll be rescued?!"

An object in the sky flew out from behind the side of the island passed a particularly tall tree. It was about to pass the desolate place, but swiftly turned around in their direction.

"I-it sees us!" Yang cheered with glee.

Ruby started crying tears of joy while they waved their hands in the air to attract more attention to the aircraft.

The helicopter hovered over the island as the sand was swept up in a mini tornado.

The four girls backed away from the helicopter while covering their faces from the sand that was whipping passed them. It felt like tiny prickles grazing their skin, slowly stinging their bodies.

"Brrah!"

Weiss subconsciously used her good arm to block her face from the storm. She grit her teeth and felt awful when she accidentally used the sloth as a shield. Instead, she hid both arms behind her since both couldn't be hurt, making sure Nora was behind her at all times. Now unable to use neither arm, she faced the other way towards the jungle.

Yang noticed this and protectively shielded her from the oncoming sand cloud by hugging her from behind, careful not to graze the sloth or injury.

The helicopter finally landed on shore, its blades winding down.

Ruby almost darted to the aircraft, but Blake grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hold on."

Ruby nodded and focused her attention back to the helicopter.

The four girls stood there, eyes firmly on the aircraft, not sure if the people inside were friendly.

Once the door slid open, they were surprised to see...

"MS. GOODWITCH?!" Ruby, Blake, and Yang yelled in unison.

Glynda pushed up her glasses. "I'm glad to see everyone is alive."

Ruby and Blake ran over to her, happy to see someone they knew after all this time. Meanwhile, Yang took it slow with Weiss and the sloth, not wanting to hurt the injury more.

Another person stepped outside the helicopter.

"Headmaster Ozpin?!" Ruby yelped. "What're you doing here? What're you both doing here?!"

"H-how?!" Blake was amazed. "Why?"

"We're here to bring you home, Ms. Belladonna, Ms. Rose," Ozpin nodded. "You too Ms. Xiao Long, and Ms. Schnee."

 _How does he know my name?_ Weiss asked herself.

Yang and Weiss caught up to join the conversation. Before Yang could speak, Weiss asked her. "Who's that?"

"That's Ms. Goodwitch," Yang pointed. "And that's Headmaster Ozpin."

 _So that's the woman who cleans up their messes…_ Weiss thought.

"So uh,' Yang started. "How'd you know? That we were here?"

"We got a tip saying the yacht, Never More, hit the side of a cliff," Glynda informed. "And several reports saying four people were missing. Your classmates are worried sick."

"So… we… we're saved?" Ruby asked. "Is it true?"

Glynda smiled and put a comforting hand on her back. "Yes, Ms. Rose. This ordeal is over. We're bringing you home," her eyes landed on Weiss' wrapped wounds. "But the hospital is first. You all need to be patched up."

"Brrah!"

Everyone's eyes lingered to the sloth.

"It's wise to leave the animal here," Glynda said. "In it's natural habitat."

From that statement, the four felt their hearts shatter. Weiss knew better than anyone that civilization was no place for a relaxed sloth like Nora.

 _No, I don't want to leave her here! But… she should be happy in the wild..._

Weiss held up her arm and gazed at Nora. "I'm… I'm going to miss you…"

"Brrah!" Nora was saddened.

"No!" Yang yelled. "She's coming with us," she pet the sloth's head.

Ruby sniffled a bit. "I-I don't want to leave her here!" tears threatened to spill over. "She-she's been with us since the beginning! When we first wrecked here!"

Blake frowned. "No matter how much I don't want to admit it, Ms. Goodwitch is right. Nora belongs here. In the wild…" her voice cackled a bit.

Yang's eyes started to water and turn red. "Y-you're right…"

"Brrah!"

Weiss tried to unwrap the sloth from her arm, but she wouldn't budge. Her wounds didn't allow her to use the strength required.

"Brrah!" the sloth was clearly frustrated, not wanting to leave her favorite human.

"Stop being stubborn, Nora…" Weiss whispered with a crack in her voice. "We-we have to go…"

Yang held out Weiss' arm and more or less pried Nora off, eliciting a high-pitched. "Brrah!"

The blonde held the sloth close. "I'm sorry…"

The animal started wiggling in her arms, not liking the situation.

Ruby walked over to join the two and whispered. "We'll miss you…"

Blake could no longer hold back her tears and sobbed. "We love you!"

"Brrah!" tears streamed down the creature's furry cheeks.

After Blake started to cry, it didn't take long for the other three to bawl as well. They each hugged Nora in an embrace. The teachers smiled at the sight and realized just how deep their bonds ran.

"Ladies," Ozpin called.

The four couldn't hear him over their sobbing and Nora's high-pitched squeals of sadness.

"Ladies!" he called again.

The embrace continued without any of them hearing him.

"LADIES!" Glynda shouted.

The four stopped their crying, and looked to the teachers. Ozpin nodded at Glynda, thankful she caught their attention.

Ruby sniffled a bit and wiped her eyes. "Yeah?"

Ozpin smiled. "There can be adjustments made so the sl-... Nora, can come with us."

Ozpin knew that almost every hour spent on this island, the sloth was with the girls. She was their beacon of hope, and one of the few _good_ memories the girls could look back on with genuine smiles. Seeing the sloth actually cry tears and display frustration hit a pang in his heart.

Weiss held the sloth up and sniffled. "Do... do you _want_ to come with?"

The sloth broke into a wide grin. "Brrrrrah!" she even shook her head eagerly.

"Woah," Yang chirped. "I've never seen you this energetic."

"It's settled," Ruby stated. "Nora is coming back home with us."

"Brrah!"

Weiss held out her good arm, and Yang immediately set Nora back on it. The sloth clung to her as usual with the widest grin on her face.

"Let's go, ladies," Glynda said.

Ruby looked back at the island one last time. "Goodbye!"

Blake smiled when she saw the shelter they were leaving behind. "I'm actually going to miss our creation."

Yang shrugged. "Some animal can have it now. Bye, batcave!"

The two nodded in agreement while Weiss rolled her eyes playfully from the comment.

Ms. Goodwitch hopped in the helicopter. The four girls had their arms wrapped around each other's backs as they got in the aircraft together. Ozpin followed behind them to make sure everyone was secure. Once they were clear to leave, he shut the door and Glynda started the engine.

"How do you know how to fly a helicopter anyways?" Yang asked.

"That's a story for a different time," Glynda said. "Buckle up, it's a long ride."

Weiss leaned on Yang's shoulder with a sigh. "It's over…" her injured arm was gently placed on the sloth's back.

Yang set her cheek against Weiss' head and she held her hand. "We did it," she stroked Nora's fur with her thumb.

"Brrah!"

The rescued girls and sloth rode back home with smiles on their faces; happy to get off the island they had been stranded on.

* * *

 **This isn't the end. A few more chapters to go! There's still many unresolved conflicts.**


	13. You Monster!

"Thank you for doing this, Weiss."

Weiss smiled when she heard his genuine tone. "It's no problem, dad."

Mr. Schnee watched his daughter take off her jewelry. "I really do appreciate it. Don't bother with anything else tonight and get some rest. I'll handle everything else."

Weiss hugged him. "Thank you."

Mr. Schnee chuckled during the embrace. "I have to admit, you're great at acting," he held out a fist.

The white-haired girl fist-bumped him. "I learn from the best."

"Now go rest," he advised. "It's been a long day."

Weiss headed to the door and before she left said. "I love you."

"I love you too, Weiss," Mr. Schnee smiled.

* * *

The sensation of wet cheeks roused her. When she struggled to open her eyes, bright lights blinded her, causing her to shut them. She was about to fall asleep once more, but something stopped her from shutting down again.

"Weiss?" she heard a concerned voice. "Wake up, I know you can do it."

She recognized the voice and furrowed her eyes a few times before opening them again, only to see a blonde waterfall of hair leaning over her. Thankfully, the locks blocked the lights.

"Yang?" Weiss asked, taken off guard.

Yang smiled and used a soft tone. "How're ya feeling?"

The white-haired girl took a moment to ponder the question. "Much better," she slowly sat up. "You?"

The blonde helped coax her up, bracing her hand against Weiss' back. "Same, but I wasn't injured that badly," her eyes lingered on Weiss' cheeks. "Why're you crying?"

Yang knew getting off the island was a burden off their shoulders. However, she couldn't think of any reason as to why the girl would cry, especially after just waking up.

Weiss went wide-eyed and wiped the tears from her face. "I… had a dream about my dad."

 _The last thing I told him was 'I love you.'_

"Oh…" Yang was visibly saddened. "I'm sorry. I'm sure once we're discharged and given the 'okay' we can search for him."

"You're right," Weiss grinned at the thought of seeing her dad again. "Wait, are we in the hospital?"

"Yep!" she chirped. "Thankfully they let us share a room."

As Weiss glanced around, she noticed the room was mostly white, with a table just to the side of her bed. A little to the left, there was another bed that had been used by Yang. The room was quiet besides the occasional drip of the IV bag.

The smells of the hospital was almost too much for Weiss to handle. After being stranded on a remote island for over a month, she'd grown accustomed to the smells of nature. However, the hospital smelled so artificial. It reminded her of the times her father had taken her ashore to get her yearly checkup from the doctor, only now it was amplified, and the scent was almost nauseating. It would be hard to adjust to, but she guessed her friends are going through the same thing.

She realized two presences missing. "Where're Ruby and Blake?"

"They're coming back to sneak in some _real_ food," Yang winked. "The hospital food here tastes like shit."

Weiss laughed a bit. "How is everyone?"

"Good!" Yang said with a smile and pointed to the IV in Weiss' wrist. "The doctor had us on fluids and aside from a few scratches and bruises, there's nothing antibiotics and some good old rest can't fix!"

Weiss sighed in relief. "I'm glad."

"Yeah!" Yang chirped. "While you were asleep, we got the fluids and nutrients we needed. I bet the Doc will take the wire out next time he stops by."

"Good," Weiss smiled. "It's already starting to annoy me."

The blonde was happy to see her girlfriend was acting like herself. "How's the arm?" she gestured to the bandaged injury. "It's gotta be better after giving you proper medicine."

The entirety of the injury was wrapped in white bandages from wrist to shoulder. Weiss guessed the fabric would be soft against her skin.

Weiss tried to lift it, but it wouldn't move. "I… can't feel it."

"Oh, that's probably because they gave you a crap ton of pain killers," Yang informed. "That's why you're so drowsy. Did you know you mumble in your sleep?"

"Shut up, brute," Weiss huffed.

Yang squeezed the girl's hand with a small smile. "I'm so glad everyone is okay…"

After going through the ordeal, they were overall glad that everyone made it off the island in one piece. Much worse could have happened, and they thanked each other for making it out alive.

"Me too," Weiss gently squeezed back. "Wait…" she noticed a certain presence was missing that was normally around her arm. "Where's Nora?" her eyes widened. "Was she taken away?!"

Yang wryly grinned. "You'll see."

"As long as my baby is okay."

"Don't worry about her, she's fine," the blonde gave Weiss a once-over. "But your eye looks pretty badass."

Weiss was about to touch the once injured eye, but Yang grabbed her arm. "Don't touch it. There's _actual_ medicine on it now, but it did scar over."

Now that she mentioned it, the medicine made Weiss feel a slight breeze. "Does it look bad?"

"No," Yang replied confidently. "In fact, I… I think it makes you look even more cute," she looked away, slightly blushing.

Weiss dropped her head in embarrassment, staring at the blankets. "Brute…"

The door suddenly swung open, announcing the new arrivals.

The freezerburn pair whipped their heads up to see Blake and Ruby, who were keeling over to keep the food from falling out of their clothes.

"Hey guys!" Yang chirped.

Before Ruby replied, she frantically pulled her shirt up over the table, causing several junk food items to slide on the surface.

"Hey, Yang!" she looked at the hospital bed. "Weiss! You're awake!"

Weiss smiled. "It's good to see you, dolt."

Ruby's grin was ear-to-ear as she bolted over and hugged Weiss as tight as she dared, careful to avoid irritating her injuries.

"Jeez!" Yang exclaimed upon seeing the food. "It looks like you guys bought everything off the value menu!"

"Well, except for these," Blake murmured. "These weren't on the value menu."

Yang's eyes followed Blake. The faunus smirked and pulled out packets of tuna from her pockets and casually threw them in the pile with the rest of the food.

"Yes!" Yang jumped up and desperately searched the pile. "But… but… where's my cheeseburger?" her expression distraught.

Blake turned around with a sly grin. On her back, was Nora the sloth, casually dangling while holding a piece of a cheeseburger in her mouth. The sloth tried to chew the delicious food slowly, savoring the taste.

The sound was a bit muffled, but Nora managed a squeal. "Brwah!"

"You… you monster!" Yang yelped. "Do you know how long I've wanted a cheeseburger?!"

The sloth swallowed slowly, careful to not choke. "Brrah!"

Yang's anger easily dissipated when she saw Nora's content face. "At least you're happy… wait, do sloths even eat meat?"

"Nope," Blake faintly chuckled.

The faunus noticed Yang was depressed that the sloth got the cheeseburger. Blake walked by her and pat Yang on the back as she reached her hand in her jacket pocket and pulled out a wrapped food.

"Did you really think that I forgot your cheeseburger?"

Yang's mouth watered at the mere sight. "You're the best!" she snatched the burger out of her hands and chewed the meat greedily.

"Ruby," Weiss said softly. "I thought Yang said you were bringing back _real_ food."

"It is real food!" Ruby beamed as she took a bite of a cookie. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had my precious?" she held up the treat.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "What even…"

Ruby noticed her friend was disappointed and was eager to cheer her up. "You know what else we got?"

"What?"

Ruby hopped off the bed and stood, shaking her red hoodie viciously.

"What're you doing, dolt?"

Ruby didn't respond and grunted in frustration. After fumbling with her hoodie, a small cup slipped out and she caught it with ease before it hit the ground.

The brunette held out the cup with a lid on it, a straw sticking out.

Weiss stared at it with calculating eyes. "I'm not even going to ask."

"It's a milkshake!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's vanilla. I didn't know what kind you liked, but I figured going with the most basic one couldn't hurt."

Weiss smiled, little did Ruby know, that was her favorite flavor. "Thank you," she grabbed the treat and sipped on the straw. "This is good," she felt like she'd melt from the sweet taste.

"Right?" Ruby chirped, happily devouring another cookie.

The door opened without warning. Ruby abandoned the treat and dove to block the view of the 'illegal' food on the table, while Weiss shoved her milkshake under the blankets.

Yang was in the midst of covering the sloth, but she let her guard down when she saw who it was.

The man strolled in with his clipboard in hand. A stethoscope was around his neck, with a white coat on his back and a pair of gloves were in his pockets. The man was arguably handsome and looked young. His brown hair brought out his blue eyes, which wandered to the clipboard. He jotted some notes when he noticed Weiss was sitting up and fully awake.

"Hey, Dr. Melas!" Yang waved. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Sup, blondie," the doctor greeted and righted himself. "Oh, I mean, Ms. Xiao Long."

Ruby waved a hand of dismissal. "Pshhhh, you can drop the formalities, Roz."

The doctor had been in the room several times by this point, dropping in to check on his patients. It had been a few hours since the girls had arrived at the hospital, so Roz had gotten to know them fairly quickly.

"Am I the only one wondering what's going on?" Weiss asked. "He's your superior, treat him as such."

Since Weiss had been asleep, she hadn't even officially met him yet, effectively leaving her out of the loop.

Dr. Melas laughed at the statement. "I love it! Really, I do. But it makes me uncomfortable. I feel like having patients call me by my first name helps me to connect with them better."

"Plus," Yang added. "He's a total screw up anyways!"

The girls felt like they could joke with him, seeing as he was the most relaxed doctor they'd ever met.

"Hey now, that's uncalled for," he chided. "One accidental diagnosis doesn't make me a screw up. Besides, that's how we learn, right?"

"The guy had a railroad spike driven through his skull," Yang said. "How in the hell do you misdiagnose that?"

"Very carefully," he answered with a wink. He noticed that the four had been acting suspicious, especially with Ruby's outstretched arms. He sighed, knowing the reason. "By the way, you don't have to hide the food, even though it's not allowed. Everyone knows this hospital's food tastes like shit."

"Took the words right outta my mouth," Yang chimed as she finished her burger.

"I like him," Blake said as she licked her finger free of tuna.

Once she knew it was okay, Weiss lifted the milkshake from under the covers and casually sipped it in silence.

"Now, on to the business…" Roz stated. "I came in here to check on you four again," the doctor walked over to Ruby. "I see the color has returned to your cheeks."

Ruby mocked a salute. "Yes, Roz! After getting my daily dose of cookies, I should be good as new!"

Dr. Melas chuckled. "Good to hear. Any type of food will do at this point. Anything but the same fish you guys have been eating for over a month, or fish in general."

"I'm never eating fish again," Yang mumbled.

"Speak for yourself," Blake smirked as she took another bite of tuna.

"Yang," Roz started and held up his hands. "How're your reflexes?"

The blonde smirked and punched his hands a few times, her newfound strength returning. "Perfect, as usual!"

Dr. Melas lowered his hands and shook off the pain, grunting slightly from the impact. "Damn, you're strong."

Yang blew on her fist like a gun. "Don't you forget it."

"Blake," Roz walked over to her with disappointment. "Please," he took the tuna out of her hand. "Anything but fish for a while."

Blake's ears folded on her head. "Aw…"

"I know you like fish," Roz stated. "But right now your body needs variety."

"Ok…" she sulked and grabbed chocolate as a replacement.

"And Weiss," the doctor sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm glad you're awake!"

Weiss set the milkshake on the table to give him her full attention. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was hardly me," Roz replied modestly. "They wouldn't leave your side for a second."

Weiss searched her friends and felt a warmth well-up in her chest, touched that they worried so much. She received heart-warming smiles in return, with even Nora poking her head around Blake's hip to sneak a peek at the girl.

Dr. Melas smiled and held out his hand. "May I see your hand?"

"Of course," Weiss replied and set her hand in his.

"I'm just checking to see if you're still dehydrated," Roz explained.

"Okay."

The doctor lightly pinched the skin on her hand, glad to see it springed back to its normal position in a few seconds. He nodded and wrote the results on his clipboard.

"You're no longer dehydrated, so the IV isn't needed," Roz gingerly removed the wire from her wrist. "Do you feel any pain right now?"

"None," she answered. "Although my head is a bit fuzzy."

"Ah, that's because of the pain killers," Roz replied. "How's the arm feeling? You sure it doesn't hurt?"

"I still can't feel it," Weiss assured.

The doctor was relieved. "Good. It's better that way for now," he carefully lifted the bandaged arm. "Can you move it at all?"

Weiss tried to lift her left arm, concentrating her energy in just that part of her body. She had full control of her hand and made it into a fist, but the fact that she couldn't move her arm at all angered her.

The doctor noticed her grimace in frustration. "Stop," he advised. "It's okay if you can't move it yet."

Weiss gripped the bed sheets until her knuckles turned white.

Roz noticed her annoyance and continued. "Your friends did a phenomenal job stabilizing the injury."

"Ahh," Ruby blushed. "It was nothing."

"No, I mean it," Roz said in a serious tone. "She could have- no, _should_ have died if you three didn't stop the bleeding, and your use of medicinal herbs was particularly clever. So good job and be proud."

"Really though," Weiss chimed, looking at the three. "Thank you, Blake. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, I wouldn't be here right now."

Blake gave her a small smile.

"Thank you, Ruby. You provided support even though you were as frightened as I was," she teased.

Ruby giggled. "I tried."

"And Yang," Weiss continued. "Thank you for just… being there. You were there for me from the beginning, even when I treated you like garbage, so thanks for putting up with me."

"To be fair, your actions were justified," Yang beamed a smile and sat on the edge of her bed.

Weiss only faintly grinned, indicating she completely agreed with that statement.

"C'mere princess," Yang wrapped her in a loose embrace.

Dr. Melas grinned at the sight and made his way to the door. "Just hit the red button if you need anything. I'll check on you guys later."

"Thanks Roz!" Ruby shouted as he shut the door.

Ruby and Blake watched with smiles as the freezerburn pair hugged.

"Get a room, you two," the faunus smirked.

The freezerburn duo broke apart and Yang said. "We finally _do_ have a room!"

"It's quite the upgrade from the batcave," Weiss chuckled.

The other three burst into laughter, actually happy to be away from their fort. They enjoyed the atmosphere, but Weiss knew she had to break it sooner or later with what needed to be said.

Weiss' eyes trailed to the faunus. "Blake, I need to talk with you."

The faunus' eyes widened, knowing what the conversation would be about. Weiss was in better condition now, so Blake figured she'd want to fill her in on the details.

"You want us to leave?" Yang asked.

"That would be for the best."

"Ouch," the blonde said. "Gettin' kicked out already?"

Knowing what Weiss wanted to talk about, Ruby grabbed her sister's hand so they could have privacy. She knew that for the entire time on the island, the topic was on her friend's mind, and she wanted her to have some relief by giving her time alone with Blake.

"Come on, Yang."

The sisters left the room and promptly shut the door, leaving Blake and Weiss alone. Blake didn't know how to approach the subject and was thankful when Nora squirmed on her body.

"Brrah!"

"Here," Blake unwrapped the sloth off her back. "She's getting restless."

Weiss happily grabbed Nora and set her on her lap, gently stroking her fur. "It's good to see you."

"Brrah!" the sloth curled up against her stomach, providing warmth.

Weiss cleared her throat. "So, you may have heard of my father."

Blake took a deep breath, it was time to find out about her parents.

"Yes," the faunus nodded. "He owns virtually every weapons store in the world called Schnee Weaponry. And if I'm correct, he ran a few other businesses on the side."

"Indeed," Weiss agreed, still petting the sloth. "However, he acquired many of those businesses with… questionable methods. Of course, this led people to be angry with him. Not only him, but my family in general."

Blake sat on the edge of the bed, listening intently with her ears perked up.

"Eventually, the people who played into his hands… formed a mob. This mob was made of both human and faunus."

Blake realized Weiss was distressed. "You don't have to-"

"No, I want to tell you. It's the least I can do for you."

Blake nodded and let her continue.

"That mob raided my home in Atlas. You lived in Atlas when you were younger, correct?"

"Yes," Blake confirmed. "A long time ago. Before I moved here."

"I thought so," Weiss replied. "The mob wanted to kill every Schnee. I only knew that because during the raid, I was hiding in a closet under some coats when I heard a man say, 'no Schnee will get away.'"

Blake was starting to get frightened from the story. Being that young and having people out to get you must've been terrifying.

"I was scared to say the least," Weiss admitted. "But then… the door creaked open."

"What happened?"

"Two cat faunus reached their hands out for me," Weiss informed. "At first, I thought they wanted to kill me, too. I was terrified… I thought they'd take me away from my parents," her stomach twisted in a knot at the thought. "But there was something about them that made me trust them. They were adamant about keeping quiet, and reassured me that I would see my family soon if I just went along with them."

"Did you?" Blake asked.

"I did," Weiss answered. "I followed them and that's why they were killed…"

"W-what happened?" Blake stammered.

"I c-could tell they wanted to protect me from harm," she continued, her voice cracking a bit. "T-they tried to shield me from anyone that might want to hurt me. But when we almost made it to the front door…"

"What happened?" Blake dared asked.

Weiss gripped the sloth's fur a little tighter, careful not to hurt Nora. "T-two gunshots rang out," she stuttered and stifled a sob when she remembered the bodies. "T-the next thing I-I knew, they were on the ground with blood staining their clothes..."

The faunus and Weiss' eyes started to water.

"Th-that's when I looked up and saw my dad holding the pistol, Blake," Weiss choked out. "H-he shot both of your parents, t-took me in his arms and ran out of our home. W-we just left them there to d-die..." she sniffled, with tears now rolling down her cheeks.

Blake put a reassuring hand on her back. "Why do you think they were my parents?"

Weiss took a deep breath. "The older male faunus had the brightest amber eyes," she smiled and gazed into Blake's amber orbs. "Just like yours."

It pained her when she could practically see Blake's face morph into the older male's, but she continued as the faunus swallowed, her ears leaned back a bit.

"And the female cat faunus had the most beautiful black hair," Weiss mentioned. "A spitting image of yours."

Blake was starting to tear up a bit, the drops threatening to spill over.

"You look so much like them, you know that?"

"S-still," Blake choked out. "They could have been some other faunus couple."

"You're right," Weiss agreed. "B-but there's one way to know. For real."

"How?"

"B-before they died, the male told the female that he loved her, and called her name."

Tears freely flowed down Blake's cheeks. She knew both of her parent's names, but wanted to see if her answer was correct.

Weiss gathered her courage and asked the question.

"Was your mother named Kira?"

Blake's world felt like it had stopped, her stomach twisted in a knot. That's when she broke down in sobs with tears streaking down her face. She leaned onto Weiss' shoulder to receive comfort, which Weiss was glad to do as she wrapped her good arm around the faunus. In order to provide the best comfort possible, she grunted and managed to gain control of her injured arm, wrapping it around her as well, pulling her in for a warm embrace.

Blake's bleary eyes widened when she felt two arms around her back. One of them slowly slid up her back, crossing on top of the other arm. She silently appreciated the contact, knowing the action required great effort. Despite her sadness, she smiled through the tears, glad she had such a thoughtful friend.

 _So it was them,_ Weiss sadly thought.

"Blake, I'm sorry," she said in a soft tone.

The faunus sniffled once more, her voice a bit muffled from leaning into the girl's shoulder. "I-it's okay. I forgive you, even though it's not your fault."

Now that Blake knew the full story, hearing that Weiss was forgiven was a relief. She had blamed herself this whole time, and as she pulled the faunus closer, she finally allowed herself to accept the genuine words.

Weiss sniffled a bit, her head on Blake's shoulder. "Thank you…"

After a few more heartbreaking sniffles, Blake composed herself and pulled away. "Besides, if they didn't try to save you, we wouldn't have met. You might not even be here right now, they just did what they did best. They helped others."

Weiss offered a small smile. "Y-you're right…"

The door flung open, causing the two to whip their heads up to the noise. Ruby and Yang ran in after they stood outside for a few minutes. Weiss broke apart from the embrace, dropping her injured arm back on the bed, all the energy sapped from the limb.

Ruby quickly wrapped her arms around Blake. "I know you said to leave, but you guys were crying…"

"We could hear you through the door," Yang explained. "Is everything okay?"

Blake wiped the tears off her face. "It's okay. I'm okay now…" she sniffled. "I have you guys. I'm not alone anymore, remember?"

Seeing the faunus so distraught hit a pang in Ruby's heart. She leaned in a bit, but hesitated. However, words from a certain white-haired girl breached her mind.

" _Have more confidence."_

That was all Ruby needed to pull Blake in for a passionate kiss. It took Blake a second to realize what was going on, but she soon returned the kiss with vigor.

Yang put a hand on Weiss' back as they watched with smiles. "Get a room, you two!"

The ladybug pair broke apart, gazing into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Blake," Ruby confessed. "In case you haven't noticed."

Blake pulled her in for an embrace. "I love you too, Ruby."

"It's about time," Weiss commented.

Ruby and Blake broke apart with their hearts soaring.

"That certainly cheered me up," Blake said.

"That's what I'm here for!" Ruby slung her arm around Blake's shoulder.

Now that they two were together _together,_ the ladybug pair understandably didn't want to separate from each other.

Yang grabbed some french fries off the table and offered Weiss some. "They look gross, but they're so goooood," she popped one in her mouth.

"Are those french fries?" Weiss asked, clearly skeptical.

"Yeah," Ruby said and gasped at the realization. "Oh my gosh. You've never eaten french fries before, have you?!"

"You think I have time for this…" Weiss inspected a fry. "Grease?"

"You haven't lived," Blake stated with her arm firmly wrapped around Ruby's waist. "Just try one."

Weiss sighed and reluctantly nibbled on the food. "It's… good. Kind of salty though."

"Like you?" Yang asked teasingly.

"Quiet brute," Weiss mumbled as she finished the french fry.

"Brrah!"

"You want one too?" Yang asked the sloth. "Here ya go!" she handed Nora a small fry.

The sloth curled her tongue around the food, but it didn't take long for her to register the saltiness. It was clear that she didn't like it when her face furrowed before she spit it out on the blanket.

The four laughed at the animal's reaction.

"What's wrong, Nora?" Ruby asked, picking up the chewed fry. "You don't like french fries?"

"Brragh!" the sloth began to lick the blanket to get rid of the taste.

"Hey!" Weiss yelped. "I'm using that!"

Blake picked up the sloth and carefully wrapped her around her neck. "I'm glad we took you with us."

"Brrah!"

Yang laughed. "Ya know-"

The sound of the door creaking open cut her off. The four girls and sloth tilted their heads at the entrance, intrigued to see a different visitor.

The man walked in the room and stood tall. His face written with shock as he stared at the four girls.

"Who are you?" Ruby asked curiously.

Weiss' eyes started to water all over again at the mere sight of his presence. Her stomach twisted in a knot, but at the same time, a huge burden was lifted off her shoulders. She managed to croak out the question, still in disbelief at the person in front of her.

"... Dad?"

* * *

 **For some reason, I found the image the sloth poking her head around Blake's hip hilarious. A poker faced sloth all like 'sup?**

 **The doctor's first name 'Roz' means 'pink' in greek. How manly ;D His last name 'Melas' means the color 'black' in greek as well.**

 **Anyone here a fan of Death Note? That's why Blake's mom is named Kira LOL.**

 **A cliffhanger! How kind of exciting?**

 **Side note: you should totally check out my other story- Let Me Hear!**

 **Stay dandy,**

 **~Toto**


	14. I Need to Tell You Something

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope you had a good one!**

* * *

"... Dad?"

Mr. Schnee ignored the other three girls in the room, his gaze solely on his daughter. He didn't say a word as he sauntered over to her, his expression disbelieving. "Weiss…" he murmured, finding it hard to realize his daughter was in front of him.

"Y-you're alive…?" Weiss asked, almost thinking her father was an illusion. She wasn't even sure if her comment was a question or a statement.

Mr. Schnee smiled, his eyes watering as he reached his hand out to see if his daughter was real. He hesitated, not sure if he could touch her, but a smile from her lips erased those thoughts. Once his hand curled around the back of her head, he knew for sure that she was the real deal, and pulled her in closely to his chest.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang took their leave, knowing they needed privacy.

"We'll be waiting outside, princess," Yang said softly.

Weiss nodded to acknowledge the comment, but her eyes never left her father's tired and weary gaze.

Blake was the last person out the door, her sight trailing the man's back unsettlingly. After what she had just learned, she didn't know what to think and needed time to process the information. Ruby noticed she was anxious, so she gently coaxed her out to the hallway.

"Weiss," his voice cracked. "Are you okay?"

"I-I should be asking _you_ that!" Weiss sniffled, lifting her good arm to hug him. "How are you alive? Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy you're okay," she stifled a sob. "But what happened?"

Her father sat on the edge of the bed, never letting go of her hand. "I was thrown off Never More during the storm."

Weiss gasped. "H-how'd you make it after that?"

 _Flashback..._

 _Captain Schnee's head was throbbing as he sank into the cold water. He opened his eyes as he was sinking into the murky abyss, he saw a large orange package float towards him. Captain Schnee, still in a daze, instinctively grabbed it before it washed by his head._

 _His chest burned as he held his breath. Knowing what the orange package was, the Captain fumbled around with it until he found what he was looking for - a long black cord with a handle attached to the end - and ripped it out with as much force as he could muster._

 _Immediately, the orange cube exploded, inflating itself with air and rising to the surface. By the time it reached the surface of the water, it was a fully formed survival raft with a tent attached. Captain Schnee flopped inside._

 _Once he had enough energy to lift his head and look outside in the storm, he noticed that the Never More was going much faster than it ever should have been. He helplessly watched as the ship rocketed toward a dangerous cliffside, going much too fast to stop._

" _Weiss…" he muttered before slipping into unconsciousness, adrift on the vast open sea._

 _End of flashback…_

"Are you okay? You got hurt!" Weiss fretted.

"Just a bump on the head," he replied, his voice even. "I was checked for a concussion, but they let me go."

Weiss gave him a once-over, relieved that he seemed alright.

"After that," her father continued. "I found help. I told them what happened, and thankfully, Beacon was nice enough to provide a search party. That school is very generous, especially the headmaster."

 _Beacon?_ Weiss asked herself. _The school they're from helped him? Now it makes sense._

"You mean headmaster Ozpin?" Weiss asked. "He helped you?"

"Yes!" Mr. Schnee exclaimed, skeptical that she knew the name. "He made it his mission to find his students. He knew about it since there were rumors around the school, which were proven to be true. It's a miracle that we found all of you in one piece."

"He was one of the people that found us," Weiss informed. "Including Ms. Goodwitch."

"I see," her father said softly. "There were many search parties, with helicopters scanning every cliff on the ocean," he chuckled. "I know it was overkill, but nothing is too much for my daughter."

 _They have such a good life at that school,_ Weiss thought. _A very caring headmaster as well._

Weiss smiled. "How long did you look?"

The ex-captain held his chin in thought while rubbing his other hand in circles along his daughter's back. "As soon as I made it back to the mainland. It didn't take Ozpin long to realize that his three favorite students were missing. Don't tell him I told you that," he sent a wink.

"My lips are sealed," she motioned her finger over her mouth, metaphorically locking them.

He continued with a smile. "We searched every day until we found you."

"While we were stuck there… I… I talked to the moon… almost every night. Just like how we used to. I talked with you…" she teared up again, remembering the despair she felt back then.

"I did too," her father replied, his voice slightly wavering. "I never gave up hope."

"Ditto," she offered a smile. "It was difficult, but somehow I knew you were okay. I was in denial at first, but they really helped me out in keeping faith."

Mr. Schnee grinned after wiping the tears away. "We're both okay, that's all that matters. No stupid island can take my daughter down."

Weiss giggled a bit. "You're pretty tough yourself."

"How did you get that injury?" he asked curiously, a million possibilities swarming his mind when he saw the bandaged left arm lying limply on the bed.

"An ape," she casually answered.

Her father gasped. "An ape?!"

"Relax," she said with a hint of annoyance. "They took it down."

She knew that he has many questions about what happened on the island, but right now she was still a bit drowsy from the medication, leaving her head slightly fuzzy.

He sighed, knowing his daughter was tired given the curt responses. "You'll have to tell me everything later. How is it?"

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes. She'd heard that question too many times in just the last hour alone.

"Much better," she answered with a sigh of relief. "They saved my life many times."

"I must thank them," he said sternly. "Anyone who looks out for you is good in my book."

Before he could stand up, Weiss tugged the bottom of his shirt. "There's something you should know."

From that, the ex-captain stopped in his tracks and perked an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"I know I shouldn't say this… but…" Weiss persevered. "They crashed our home. And there's nothing we can do to bring Never More back, but you shouldn't be mad at them. Despite that, they… they're very good people. My closest friends."

"I figured as much," he replied. "After being stuck on that forsaken island, it was only a matter of time before you made friends with them," he said evenly. "But it doesn't matter that they crashed a replaceable ship. What matters is that they saved my priceless daughter's life, and for that, I owe them my deepest gratitude."

"You're not mad?" Weiss asked in exasperation.

"There are important more things to think about," he replied. "Like why that blonde girl called you 'princess' before she left the room."

"Her name is Yang," Weiss stifled a giggle. "And it's a long story."

"And why the black-haired girl had a sloth around her neck," he continued, almost chuckling. "I'm confused to say the least."

Weiss took solace in the fact that her father referred to Blake as 'the black-haired girl' instead of a 'faunus.' He had never been one to discriminate, but she was especially worried after what she had told Blake when she remembered what happened in the past.

"She's Blake, and the other is Ruby," she replied. "But the explanations will have to wait. I'm sure they'll inform you when they come back."

"Of course," he agreed. "Right now, I must thank them and you should rest."

 _What will Blake do? She seemed so anxious when he showed up,_ Weiss thought. _Not that I'm surprised… Telling her just now was horrible timing._

As if on cue, the door creaked open, with Ruby's voice reaching their ears. "Can we come in now?"

"Yes," Weiss permitted.

The three girls walked in, their eyes trailed on the man.

"So this _is_ your dad?" Ruby asked.

"Indeed."

Blake's ears flattened when she heard Weiss' nervous tone, knowing she must be uncomfortable after telling her the details about her past. The faunus wished her friend had more confidence in her. Ruby noticed her girlfriend's nervous body language, so she grabbed her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"Hello~" Yang sang and strolled up to the man, holding out her hand. "I'm Yang. Yang Xiao Long. Nice to meet ya, papa Schnee."

The ex-captain perked an eyebrow from the nickname as he stood up from the bed. He stared at her outreached hand and shook it. "'Papa?'" he quoted, clearly perplexed.

"Oho," Yang wiggled her eyebrows mischievously. "You mean you didn't tell him, princess?"

"There were other things to cover," Weiss said as Yang sat on the edge of her bed. "I never got to it."

"Got to what?" he asked, curiosity peaked.

Yang slung her arm around Weiss' shoulders. "We're girlfriends!"

"This is interesting to say the least…" Mr. Schnee mumbled.

"A-are you okay with that?" Weiss stammered. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier-"

"It's fine," her father assured. "When you spoke of her, your eyes lit up. I figured something was going on between you two."

"Aw," the blonde cooed. "I'm so touched."

Weiss' eyes met Yang's kind lilac ones. "Brute…"

"Hello, sir," Ruby chimed. "I'm Ruby!"

"The dolt of the group," Weiss added.

Ruby crossed her arms proudly. "The best dolt there is!"

Blake realized she was being rude when she hadn't said a word. "I'm Blake," she said in a monotone voice.

It was a bit awkward for the faunus to even look at the man, but to speak to the person that killed her parents…

It was unnerving to say the least.

Part of her felt like he would finish the job, killing her off to erase the bloodline. She knew it was a ridiculous thought. Those thoughts soon vanished when she saw the infinite love he had for his daughter. She wasn't there in the past, but based on what she knew… She gathered that it was more than likely Captain Schnee concluded her parents were part of the mob. Especially since they tried to escape the castle.

With his little Weiss.

Her father probably thought that her parents intended to kidnap Weiss, so he reacted on instinct, doing what any parent would do to protect their children. She couldn't fault him for that.

The last thing she wanted to think was that he was a cold-blooded murderer.

"Blake," the ex-captain repeated. "Do you mind if I ask why you have a sloth around your neck?"

Hearing her name uttered from the man made her anxious, so she focused her full attention on the sloth.

"This is Nora. She's probably the only good thing that came from being stranded."

"Brrah!"

"About that…" Ruby chirped. "We're really sorry!" she bowed her head.

Yang followed her sister and bowed her head in apology.

Blake awkwardly stood there, her mind swarming with thoughts about what to do.

Was she expected to bow before the man that killed her parents?

A nod of encouragement came from Weiss, leaving Blake content with her choice to just stand there.

The ex-captain noticed that Blake didn't follow suit, but didn't seem to mind.

"Very sorry," Blake genuinely apologized. She was still partially responsible for crashing the ship, after all.

"It was a stupid thing to do to say the least," Yang said softly. "We're sorry."

A faint smile carved on Mr. Schnee's face. "Raise your heads."

The sisters did as they were told and lifted their heads.

"You saved my daughter, did you not?"

"Yes," Blake replied sternly.

"That's all I care about," he claimed. "So thank you all. I owe you my deepest gratitude."

"Psh," Yang waved off, slightly blushing from the praise. "She saved us a bunch, too!"

"Yeah!" Ruby chirped. "Like when Yang almost fell in a volcano!"

"What!?" Mr. Schnee yelped.

Blake smirked. "And when Weiss impaled a jaguar in the heart, saving my life."

His jaw dropped. "What the hell happened on that island!?"

"Too much," Weiss sighed. "But I taught them the things you taught me when I was little. Combat, I mean."

"It sure came in handy," Yang added. "We probably would be dead by now if we didn't learn from her."

"Brrah!"

"Oh," the blonde chirped, realizing Nora never got recognition for her efforts. "And Nora. Nora warned us about predators all the time."

"Father…" Weiss called quietly. "There's something I need to ask you."

She figured asking the question with her friends present would be the best option, especially since they unknowingly provided support.

 _I've been wanting to ask him this for a long time… It's now or never._

Mr. Schnee noticed his daughter seemed nervous. "What is it?"

"No," Weiss shook her head. "I need to _tell_ you something."

He tilted his head. "Yes?"

"I want to live on land," she finally admitted. "I want to stay with them... and I want to go to Beacon. I know I sound like a needy child, but… no…" she shook her head. "I _need_ this."

The room was filled with silence, her father speechless.

Yang's eyes widened. "You… you think you can stay?"

Weiss' azure eyes went from Yang to her father. "May I?" she asked with conviction.

The ex-captain could tell how much her new friends meant to her and she even got a girlfriend in the process. His overprotective side had taken up too much of her life, and he felt a little guilty, especially after what she had been through as a result.

"Yes, you may," he answered. "Beacon is a great school," his eyes lingered on the three. "And… I have a feeling that they'd fight for you to stay anyways."

After waiting for so long to tell her father about wanting to live on land, another burden was lifted off her shoulders. This was perfect timing, considering she had already found a school and even friends to start a new chapter of life with.

Weiss couldn't contain her excitement and pulled down the covers, stepping on the floor. Once she stood, she wrapped her father in a tight embrace with both arms. "Thank you…"

"Aw," Yang cooed and joined the hug. "This is too cute."

Weiss glowered at her girlfriend teasingly. "He's mine."

Yang chuckled, a small smile forming. "Got it," she went over to Ruby and Blake, knowing that they needed their moment.

Mr. Schnee pulled her close, savoring the warmth. He made sure to keep her close, knowing she was still heavily medicated. It seemed like up till this point had been a dream, but as he ran his fingers through her snow-white hair, he remembered it was reality.

That everything was okay.

Just as they were about to pull apart, the door opened again. Everyone in the room were surprised when it wasn't the doctor.

A girl with large trademark rabbit ears entered and a yellow primate tail was wrapped around her waist.

"Sun?!" Blake yelped. "Velvet?!"

"Long time no see," Sun greeted, his arm around Velvet's shoulders.

"Hey!" Velvet greeted. "I'm glad to see you're all okay."

Not soon after, a girl with fiery orange hair walked in after the couple, humming a chipper tune.

"Nora?!" Ruby exclaimed. "You're here too?!"

The moment Weiss heard the name, she gazed at the girl and then the sloth, now knowing who she was named after. The comment Blake had made after hearing the name seemed to make sense about the two being opposites.

"Aye, aye!" Nora confirmed. "We're to see ya! Sorry more people couldn't come, it was such short notice!"

Weiss stared at Nora with calculating eyes. "So you're the one."

"Huh?" Nora tilted her head. "Oh jeez. What'd I do now?"

Blake chuckled a bit, knowing what Weiss was talking about. "Here," she held out the sloth.

"Is that a sloth?!" Nora shouted. "Oh. My. God! Wait till Ren hears about this!" she cheered and carefully reached out with her pointer finger. Once it hit the sloth's nose, she said. "Boop!"

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed.

"Oh man," Nora said in awe. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Blake kept the sloth out in front of her. "Just hold her already," she smirked.

Nora took the animal in her arms without a second thought, murmuring words of amazement.

"We named her after you," Yang informed with a wide grin.

"Brrah!" the animal wiggled in Nora's arms, not liking the foreign smell.

"Aw," Nora pouted. "I don't think she likes me."

Ruby giggled and carefully took the sloth in her own arms. "It takes a while for her to warm up to people."

"You can say that again," Yang mumbled irritably. "One of the first times I held her, she pooped on me!"

Everyone in the room bursted into laughter.

"It wasn't funny!" Yang yelped.

Velvet fake wiped a tear. "I wish I saw that."

"You probably deserved it," Sun jokingly added.

The animal nuzzled her head against Ruby's stomach.

"Brrah..."

Nora the sloth slowly shut her eyes, drifting off in the world of slumber. After worrying all day about her favorite humans, sleep was easy to achieve when she realized they'd be alright.

"Awww," Ruby cooed as she cradled the animal. "She fell asleep."

Blake fondly smiled as she stared at the sleeping sloth. "She deserves it."

"Are you all okay?" Sun asked. "Being stranded for that long must've sucked."

"It did," Weiss confirmed.

Sun nodded and looked to Ruby, Yang and Blake. "What you did was pretty stupid."

"We're not going to sugarcoat it," Velvet said in a disappointed voice. "That was fucking stupid."

Nora giggled. "I didn't think you'd go through with it. We thought you'd chicken out when the storm rolled in."

"Ehehe," Yang rubbed the back of her head. "We know."

Nora pointed at Weiss. "Are you their poor victim?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Hardly."

"Either way," Sun cut in. "Thanks for helping these hopeless sacks of shit, uhhh."

"Weiss," she informed. "We each had our own skill set to survive. They helped me more than I helped them."

"Wow..." Sun muttered.

"Are you guys coming to school tomorrow?" Nora asked suddenly. "Everyone misses you."

"Honestly," Ruby started. "I think we'll go next week. We need to adapt to things here first."

"We need to go back soon," Blake added. "We've missed over a month…"

Yang sighed. "It's gonna suck trying to catch up, but there's one good thing that came outta this!"

"What?" her friends asked in unison.

Yang wryly glanced to Weiss. "You're gonna transfer!"

"Joy…" Weiss playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm so terribly excited."

Ruby eagerly ran up to Weiss. "When will you?!"

Weiss looked up at her father for an answer.

Mr. Schnee smiled. "As soon as her injury heals."

Ruby pumped her fist in the air with victory. "Yes!"

"By the way," Blake started. "Yang won the bet."

"Huh?" the blonde asked.

"We were on the island for about a month and a half," the faunus informed. "You guessed that we'd be stranded for a month."

"Ohhhhh," Ruby chirped in realization. "Yeah! And I said a couple of days, while you said half a year!"

"Half a year?" Mr. Schnee scoffed. "I'll be damned if we took that long to find you."

The girls broke out in grins before a knock on the door caused them to turn their heads.

A familiar man carefully shut the door.

"Hello, everyone," Doctor Melas said as he strolled in.

"Hey Roz!" Yang greeted. "What's up?"

The doctor flipped through his clipboard. "Good news! You're all okay to leave," he noticed their surprised faces. "The four of you can go home now. But I want all of you to get some rest. No strenuous activity, especially you, Weiss."

"I'll make sure she doesn't exert herself," the ex-captain stated.

"Aw, you hear that Weiss? You and I can't engage in any _strenuous activity_ ," the blonde said with suggestive emphasis.

Mr. Schnee literally face palmed from the comment. He thought that his daughter picked an interesting girlfriend. One with guts, or stupidity, he couldn't tell.

Weiss' face flushed a bright shade of red. "S-shut up, you brute!"

Yang wiggled her eyebrows before she turned to Ruby and ruffled her sister's hair. "I bet dad'll be happy to see us!"

"You didn't tell him you were alive?!" Weiss yelped. "He's probably worried sick!"

"Psh," Ruby waved. "Him of all people knows we can survive something like that!"

"Still…" Weiss murmured. "At least call him."

"We're headin' home now!" Yang chirped as she slung her arms around Blake and Ruby. "You should get dressed, I think we're leaving soon."

Weiss gazed at her father. "Do we have somewhere to go?"

"Of course," the ex-captain replied. "I bought nice house in town shortly after I arrived."

"I'd expect nothing less," Weiss said. "Okay, we'll go with you."

"We'll let you get changed then," Mr. Schnee said. "Will you be okay?"

"Yes dad," Weiss stated firmly. "I'll be out in a minute."

Her father nodded. "Alright. We'll be waiting."

Mr. Schnee, Ruby, Yang, Blake, the doctor and their friends took their leave.

"You know what I want when we get home?" Ruby asked her friends as they exited the room and stood in the hallway just as the food cart rolled by, delivering the hospital food to the patients. "I want all the breakfast foods on the menu! Like eggs, waffles, pancakes, french toast-"

"We get it," Sun interjected.

"I _doughnut_ about you, but I want all the bacon we have!" Yang snickered from her joke while eyeing a visibly stale muffin in the cart.

Ruby wrapped her arm around Blake's waist, who saw her chance. "You must be _yolking._ "

The blonde sniffled. "I'm so proud of you," she said in a teasing tone to the faunus.

The group collectively groaned from their lame jokes.

Sun mumbled. "That island messed you up."

"I'll tell ya one thing," Nora said. "We didn't miss those puns."

* * *

 **One chapter to go! The finale!**

 **Stay dandy,**

 **~Toto**


	15. You Ruffians

**I wanted this last chapter, yes LAST chapter, to be released today because now it's been exactly a year since Stranded has published!**

 **Once again, WE LOVE YOU MONTY!**

 **Enjoy the finale!**

* * *

"Hurry, or you'll be late for your first day of school!"

Weiss rushed down the marble stairs and caught her backpack that was thrown in midair. "I think you're more excited than I am, dad."

Mr. Schnee laughed. "It's my daughter's first day of _real_ school! Can you blame me?"

She playfully rolled her eyes. "You need to relax."

Her father sighed and unzipped one of the pockets of her backpack. A piece of paper was casually slipped inside the holder, and then he closed it.

Weiss tried to jerk away. "What'd you put in there?"

"My number," he informed. "In case you forget it," he looked down at the floor sheepishly.

"You worry far too much," she sighed and pulled him in for a hug. "I'll be fine. I already have friends there, remember?"

Mr. Schnee returned the embrace and smiled. "You're right…" he reluctantly admitted.

"Of course I am," Weiss knowingly replied. "Do you remember the plan after school?"

A tinge of sadness sparked in his eyes and leaked in his voice. "How could I forget?"

A little after Weiss and Mr. Schnee bought a new mansion, she told him about Blake. She knew the faunus needed some form of closure about her parents. Weiss had taken the liberty of texting the faunus, telling her it was a smart idea for them to talk about the situation. Blake was hesitant at first, but she knew it needed to be done.

His daughter nodded. "Okay. I'll bring her over afterwards then. Only you know what to say in times like this."

Mr. Schnee had a long time to think about the situation while his daughter recovered. He had an idea on what he'd say to the faunus, but ultimately knew what he needed to do to try to make things right.

"I'll see you soon," he said more confidently.

Weiss smirked when she realized he finally calmed down a bit. "I'll be back," and walked over to open the door.

"Have fun," he grinned.

She looked back at him to send him a reassuring smile. Once the outside was in view, she walked out and shut the door. Now outside, it wasn't hard to hear one of her friends bolting across the driveway.

"WEISSSSSSSS!" A red blob sprinted down her field of vision.

Weiss' thoughts were cut off. _That can only be-_

Before she could say a word, she was tackled to the ground. "Get off me you dolt!"

"Ah, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed. "Aren't you excited for school?!"

Weiss forcefully shoved the brunette to the side. "Very," she said blandly.

Ruby hastily stood up and reached her hand down to help her friend up. "Oops! Sorry, I completely forgot about your arm since it's not wrapped or anything! Is it okay? Did I injure you more-"

"Ruby," Weiss interjected. "It's fully healed. Don't worry."

The brunette let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. I don't know what I'd do if I re-injured it!"

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes as the two joined Yang and Blake, who were waiting at the end of the driveway.

The blonde laughed at the scene. "Is everyone excited for you?"

"It sure seems like it," Weiss replied as the four headed to school. "I have to admit, these uniforms aren't that bad. It's weird to see you guys in normal clothing."

Blake chuckled faintly. "Anything is better than those ripped up dresses."

Ruby giggled as she grasped the faunus' hand. "They are ruined to the point of no return."

The leaves were starting to fall off the trees. A gentle breeze whipped their cheeks as they enjoyed the scenery. Ruby, Blake and Yang had been going to school for a few weeks by this point. Now that Weiss' injuries were fully healed, her father allowed her to attend Beacon.

Yang grabbed Weiss around the waist when she noticed her girlfriend seemed anxious. "Don't worry about a thing. You'll get along with everyone."

"And if you don't," Ruby chirped. "We'll just beat up anyone who doesn't!"

Blake pecked Ruby on the cheek in silent agreement.

Weiss gently leaned against Yang's shoulder. "Yes, that's the answer to all problems. Beating people up."

Yang beamed a smile and pulled her closer. "It always works."

The group had come a long way since they had first shipwrecked. It wasn't easy for Weiss to make friends, but being with them felt natural, especially with Yang's warmth that kept her company.

A broad grin formed on Weiss' face as she murmured. "Thank you…"

Yang tilted her head. "Huh?"

Weiss looked down at the sidewalk with a blush. "Nothing."

Yang loosened her grip, not sure what her girlfriend had said. She interpreted the mumble was a weak protest against the close contact.

The blonde released the hold she had on Weiss' arm. "You sure you're fully healed?"

Weiss sighed and internally sulked from the broken contact. "Yes, Yang. Otherwise my dad wouldn't have let me go today," she linked her arm with hers once more. "There's just two little lines that are scars… and of course the one right here," she pointed to her left eye.

"Either way," Yang started. "You are beautiful as always."

Ruby nuzzled against Blake's neck. "You guys are too much."

Yang pouted. "So are you!"

Blake playfully smacked Yang on the head. "Get over it."

"I-I'm just glad we're finally together _together_ ," Ruby admitted as she gazed at the faunus timidly. "After all this time…"

Blake teasingly bumped hips against her girlfriend. "It's about time you grew some balls."

Yang and Weiss bursted into laughter from the comment while Ruby pouted.

"Hey!" the brunette whined. "It didn't have to be me!"

The faunus linked arms with her girlfriend. "Still, I'm glad it was. I'm not as brave as you."

Once the group rounded a corner, Weiss' jaw dropped at the sight before her. From the looks of it, it was Beacon. The building looked like a castle and stood on a mound.

The white-haired girl was in awe. "I-is that it?"

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" Yang asked, keeping her close.

"Yes," Weiss admitted. "But I'll get used to it."

Ruby ran out in front of the three, happily bolting towards the school. "We're here!"

* * *

"So you're the one that got caught up in their idiotic plan?" A girl with sunglasses leaned down to ask the new student.

Weiss sighed. She had been asked that question at least fifty times today already.

Weiss didn't know what to think of the girl interrogating her. She was wearing sunglasses _inside_ the building! There were lots of different kinds of people she had yet to meet, she just hoped they wouldn't _all_ try to interrogate her.

Before she could reply, her girlfriend cut her off.

"Coco," Yang called. "Ease up a bit. People have been asking her questions all day."

The fashionista leaned back, tilting her sunglasses down with a smirk. "Alright, but expect to see me later, Weiss."

"Okay," she meekly replied.

Yang put a hand on the back of her chair. "How ya holdin' up?"

"Every. Single. Question."

"Huh?" Yang was confused.

"Every single question people ask me pertains to you three!" Weiss fumed, irritably standing up. "How popular is the news?!"

The blonde visibly relaxed. "Oh, that's it?"

Weiss gave her a glare.

Yang nervously rubbed the back of her head. "I don't think anyone is left out. Even the teachers know. Hell," she picked up a newspaper on her desk. "It was in the newspaper!"

She pointed to an image of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang posing for a picture just outside the hospital that was taken shortly after being discharged. The four went in for a hasty group hug before going to their homes.

In the image, Yang had placed a peace sign over her sister's head that acted as ears. Blake was smirking while Ruby's arm was wrapped around her waist. Weiss was clearly attempting to jerk away from the blonde's crushing hug, a playful glower present.

"Hey!" Weiss yelped. "Ruby said she wouldn't share that with anyone!"

Yang set the paper down. "You can't trust Rubes with a camera."

Weiss laughed. "The news will die down one day."

"Yep!" the blonde beamed. "For now, enjoy your stardom!"

Azure orbs met lilac. "Of course you'd like the attention."

"You know me so well. Come on," Yang grabbed her hand. "Let's get lunch."

Knowing it was her girlfriend's very first day at school, Yang never left her side for a second. During lunch, she helped her grab her meal and showed her where their usual table was located.

Weiss was surprised to see so many people sitting at the long table. She recognized Ruby, and Blake, but not the blond boy, the red-head, or the seemingly mute boy, who the familiar girl, Nora, kept clinging to.

The freezerburn pair joined their friends and started to eat their meals.

"Hello," the redhead held out her hand to Weiss. "I'm Pyrrha and this is Jaune," she tilted her head at the boy sitting next to her.

Weiss returned the gesture. "I'm Weiss."

Jaune put his fork down. "Hello there, snow angel."

Yang slung her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder. "Sorry, vomit boy. She's taken. By me."

Weiss silently thanked her girlfriend for the save.

 _Didn't they mention that they were hoping for Jaune and Pyrrha to be a couple?_ Weiss thought to herself. _He's so dense._

"Oh, sorry about that," Jaune sheepishly replied and went back to eating. "Do you like Beacon so far?"

"It's a good school," Weiss acknowledged. "Although I think it'd be better if you two became a couple."

Pyrrha spit out her water and pounded her chest from the words. "H-huh?!"

Blake, Ruby, and Yang giggled in their seats, surprised she boldly said that.

"Ren!" Nora called. "Weiss ships it too!"

Ren nodded. "Who doesn't?"

"W-what're you guys talking about?" Jaune asked, a faint blush forming on his cheeks. "W-we aren't a couple."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "And you're dense."

"Shot down!" Ruby exclaimed. "Oh this is good."

Pyrrha gratefully glanced at Weiss and mouthed the words. "Thank you."

After everyone laughed, Weiss had a feeling creep up on her. It wasn't exactly a foreign feeling, but it didn't make her uncomfortable.

It was familiar.

Like when she first befriended the three idiots who wrecked her ship.

That's when she knew she'd fit in perfectly here.

 _This…_ Weiss gazed at her friends, and the ones she had yet to form great friendships with. _This is home._

They went back to eating their food, with Jaune taking the hint and talking with Pyrrha. Nora decided to tell Ren about her dream last night and the ladybug pair were in their own world.

"Admit it."

Weiss looked up from her food and saw her girlfriend with an ear-to-ear grin. "Admit what?"

"You like it here~"

"What's there not to like?" Weiss asked. "After everyone is finished interrogating me I'm sure I'll like Beacon even more."

The blonde giggled a bit. "Glad to hear it!"

Weiss continued to eat her salad, but when Yang got a mischievous smirk on her face as she lowered the fork.

"Don't say it," Weiss warned in an almost pleading tone.

"I see this upsets you," Yang egged her on with a wiggle of a brow. " _Lettuce_ discuss this further."

Weiss groaned and looked at the ceiling, cursing herself for putting up with her girlfriend's crap.

Apparently, Nora heard the lame pun and shouted. "Booooo!"

Before Yang could react, a pie was thrown in her face. After hastily wiping it off with a glower, she saw Nora pointing accusingly at Ren.

The blonde knew it wasn't Ren and picked up her plate to throw it at the real culprit. Before she could do so, Weiss grabbed her arm.

"Oh no, there's not going to be another food fight!"

"Aww…" Nora mumbled and looked down at the table in disappointment.

Yang allowed her to lower her arm slowly, setting the plate back on the table.

"You're not you when you're hungry," Weiss sighed.

"Here!" Ruby chirped and pulled out a snickers bar. "I gotcha covered, sis!"

"Thanks, Rubes," Yang took the candy bar and nibbled on the treat.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd have that in your pocket."

"It comes in handy!" Ruby replied. "Maybe you should start doing the same thing. You should learn more about your girlfriend."

"So you're telling me that I should start carrying around snickers bars?" Weiss asked in exasperation.

Ruby held her chin in thought. "Yep!"

Yang laughed. "Just like how Blake is in charge of Ruby's cookies."

To prove her point, the faunus slipped a cookie out of her pocket and dangled it teasingly in front of the brunette.

Ruby snapped her teeth at it, and Blake kept pulling it back, making Ruby miss the treat.

Blake giggled at Ruby's pouting reaction and finally handed her the cookie.

"Better?" the faunus asked.

After munching a few times, Ruby gave her thumbs-up with her mouth still full. "Bwetter!"

Weiss couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Unbelievable…"

* * *

The rest of the school day went by smoothly. Weiss and Blake told the sisters about the plan, so they and headed to Weiss' house.

They rushed inside the mansion, eager to get out of the chilly breeze. The white-haired girl gingerly shut the door, maybe even more anxious than her friend.

The faunus walked in the white modern-style living room, her ears flicking at the noise of the door closing.

She swallowed. "Where is he?"

Weiss walked over to her friend and pat her back. "I'm not su-"

"Hi," a man's voice greeted. "How was your first day of school, Weiss?"

"It was better than I thought it'd be," his daughter admitted. "You have nothing to worry about. Blake and them were a huge help."

They both knew it was just small talk, waiting to get down to the real issue.

Mr. Schnee nodded. "Good to hear. Now, Ms. Belladonna…"

Blake realized that he was being formal with her. Back in the hospital, he seemed like a laid-back person, and even used her first name. Her ears were high in the air, completely alert for what he had to say.

To her surprise, the man kneeled on the cold white marble floor. Not knowing what to say, she stood there, taking in the sight.

He bowed his head. "I'm so sorry for what I did."

Blake's jaw dropped. A man of supreme power was kneeling before her in apology. In the hospital, she didn't even lower her head for him. Now here he was, shamelessly doing this without thought.

"D-did what?" she needed to hear it for herself.

"No matter how you look at it," Mr. Schnee's voice cracked. "I killed your parents. And I can never take back what I did."

Blake's eyes started to water, with Weiss' arm gingerly rubbing her back for comfort.

"I can't imagine the pain I put you through," he continued. "All the pain I caused… I can never take it back."

Blake bit her lip to stop them from trembling.

"After the raid… I had some time to think when Weiss and I were far away from harm and aboard Never More…"

The faunus stared at Weiss' father's bowed head.

"When I came to realize that I killed two people, I never forgave myself," he continued. "There hasn't been a day go by I don't think about it. But to find out it was the parents of one of Weiss' friends…"

Blake took a deep breath.

"I am deeply sorry," Mr Schnee stated genuinely, seemingly in tears himself.

"Please," Blake almost begged. "Stand up."

He did as he was told, slowly gaining his footing and finally meeting her gaze.

"I understand if you hate me," Mr. Schnee stated. "But please, don't have a grudge against my daughter because of my foolish actions."

"You're right. It will be difficult to forgive you, but I could never be mad at Weiss," Blake informed. "Now please, tell me something."

"Anything."

"At the time, did you think my parents were trying to kidnap her?" Blake asked, fighting back tears.

Weiss bit her lip and lowered her head.

"Yes," he replied. "After the mob killed my wife, I had no doubt that they would kill my daughter, too."

"You were trying to protect her," Blake said. "I-I can't fault you for that. Parents can go to surprising lengths to save their children."

All Mr. Schnee could do was nod.

"I don't forgive you... yet. It will take time, but it's not impossible," Blake inquired. "Although… I'm glad Weiss survived the ordeal."

"I understand," he replied. "I'm deeply sorry, Ms. Belladonna."

It would take time, but the faunus knew in her heart that one day…

Even though he was the man that killed her parents, she understood that everyone makes mistakes. Mr. Schnee was hellbent on saving his daughter at all costs, and she figured that she'd be heartless if she held that against him.

The ex-captain treated his daughter like a queen with unconditional love. It was no use holding a grudge because of a father's bond with his child.

… she could forgive him.

"Blake," Weiss chimed. "Yang invited me over just now," she pointed to her phone. "Want to head over?"

"Sure," the faunus was eager to leave the house.

The two had finally talked about what needed to be said, so Weiss was quick to move things along, not wanting her friend to be uncomfortable.

"Okay," Weiss replied. "I'll be back, dad."

Mr. Schnee sniffled a bit. "Be safe."

The white-haired girl couldn't just leave him standing there, so she walked over to give him a hug. "We will. I have your number, remember?"

Her father lightly chuckled. "That's right."

"I'm proud of you," Weiss whispered.

Mr. Schnee pulled her closer. "That's my line," he held out a fist.

Weiss fist bumped him. "I'll see you soon."

She then walked over to Blake, who was waiting by the door. "Ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Weiss opened the door and glimpsed at her father. "I'll text you!"

When the door shut, he sighed and mumbled. "I'm so proud of you…"

* * *

"Jeez!" Yang exclaimed. "What took ya so long?"

The sisters were sitting on the couch with a big T.V. screen blaring in the background. Ruby quickly paused the game, and the two set the controllers on the table in front of them to give their attention to the arrivals.

Weiss and Blake scurried inside the house, glad to get away from the cold.

A pleasant scent wafted in their noses to greet them, but they didn't have time to think about that since the two sisters are a handful.

While Blake shut the door, Weiss replied. "Sorry it took longer than expected."

Ruby shot off the couch. "How'd it go?"

The brunette knew it was a sensitive subject for her girlfriend and was undoubtedly willing to provide the emotional support she needed.

"Better than I thought it would," the faunus answered, walking over to peck her girlfriend. "I see you've been playing video games while we were gone?"

"Yeah!" Yang chirped. "No matter how hard she tries, Rubes just can't beat me!"

A man walked in the room with an apron tied around his waist and a spatula in hand. "Or me."

Nora the sloth was wrapped around his neck, nuzzling against it. "Brrah!"

"Ugh!" Ruby whined. "Shut up..."

"Who wants pancakes?" Taiyang asked the four. "Nora already had some."

"Brrah!" the sloth squealed, contentedly nibbling on a piece of the food.

"Before that," Yang chimed as she slung her arm around Weiss. "I need to tell ya something!"

Taiyang's eyebrow perked. "Which would be?"

"She," the blonde gestured to Weiss. "Is my girlfriend," she said in a bragging tone.

"Ah, I see," Taiyang said. "The girl's party you crashed."

"Literally," Weiss crossed her arms. "You ruffians wrecked my ship and got us stranded on a deserted island."

"In case you didn't know," Blake chimed, a sly smirk present. "We're sorry."

Weiss playfully rolled her eyes and lightly huffed, looking away from the three.

Yang sighed, lovingly giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You'll never let that go, will you?"

Weiss glanced at her friends. It was a well-known fact that they were stupid enough to crash Never More during a storm.

But if that didn't happen, she wouldn't be on land right now.

With the best friends she's ever had.

With her girlfriend...

… or the sloth.

She put on her best genuine smile that practically twinkled.

"Nope."

* * *

 **Aaaaand Stranded is FINISHED.**

 **I kind of based some of this fic off the song I mentioned at the end of the first chapter. It's called Never More by Sapphire.**

 **www,youtube,com/watch?v=HFTB0H6DnBg**

 **Replace the commas with periods and there ya go! I recommend giving it a listen. The song kinda makes sense in relation to the story. In case you haven't noticed, a lot of my stories are inspired by songs and whatnot.**

 **Another thing this story was inspired by was Amtrack's fic called Sailing AU. Amtrack is aware of this and even follows this story! From Amtrack's story, I knew I wanted a yacht, so Never More was born. If you haven't read his fic, check it out! It's a really good read.**

 **It was also inspired by my trip to Costa Rica. Hence the random animals, the climate, and all that jazz.**

 ***Fun fact* I outlined this story on a 1.5 hr plane ride!**

 **That was one hell of a ride! Thanks so much for all your support, I had a blast writing this for you. Seriously though, thank you. I never thought this story would get this much praise. It means so much to me! Hope to seeya in my other stories!**

 **Check out Let Me Hear and keep your eyes peeled for my newest fic still in progress: Time To Make History.**

 **Remember to stay dandy,**

 **~Toto**


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